Bringing soil back to life in a Europe-wide effort

After three years of work supporting the implementation of the EU’s Mission Soil initiative, the PREPSOIL project has reached its conclusion. the collaborative effort of partners, now completed, has not only advanced the science of soil health but also empowered the identification and development of an entire ecosystem of soil health living labs (SHLLS), Soil Lighthouses initiatives, and local communities of practice committed to restoring and sustaining Europe’s soils. Through targeted actions and co-creation with a wide range of stakeholders, the project has gathered a wealth of practical resources aimed at increasing the knowledge base on the importance of restoring, preserving and protecting soil health, while strengthening the development, maturity, and long-term sustainability of soil-related initiatives across Europe.

Mapping Europe’s soil innovation network 

One of the key outcomes of ACR+ activities within the EU Soil Mission is the contribution towards the development of the Interactive Atlas, a powerful platform that brings visibility to over 100 Soil Health Living Lab and Lighthouse initiatives across Europe, a joint effort of the PREPSOIL and SOILL START-UP projects. More than just a map, this tool facilitates knowledge exchange on territorial soil challenges and testing solutions, it fosters networking, and it supports the creation of new consortia for participation in the Mission Soil calls. 

A multilingual hub for soil knowledge 

To ensure that soil health expertise is accessible to all, the PREPSOIL project launched the Multilingual Soil Knowledge Hub, an online one-stop-shop showcasing resources of different formats such as Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) policy recommendations for soil management,  video interviews with soil practitioners from communities of practice, country-based soil management and planning reports, community engagement tools for soil health awareness, educational material on soils developed by primary school teachers. All materials are available in multiple languages, with English subtitles.  

Turning stakeholders into changemakers 

Over its three years OF IMPLEMENTATION, stakeholder involvement at different governance levels has been the cornerstone of PREPSOIL’s work. This materialized through a diverse set of actions, such as: 

• Conducting Soil Needs Assessments in 20 regions across Europe, engaging actors from the 4-helix and identifying challenges and  priority intervention areas based on land use types (urban, agricultural, forest/natural, and mixed use); 

• Building bridges between regional stakeholders, policymakers, and soil experts to support the creation of new Soil Health Living Labs (SHLLs) and Lighthouses (LHs);

• Highlighting the work carried out by local Communities of Practice and hosting a Soil Forum to share success stories and foster peer learning;

• Promoting citizen participation and awareness through outreach events and soil education best teaching practices calls;

• Developing the PREPSOIL Mobile App to encourage citizen science and public engagement on user-identified territorial soil challenges.

Laying the groundwork for a greener future 

PREPSOIL has created a solid foundation for the future development of Soil Health Living Labs and Lighthouses in support of the EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe." 

All resources developed under PREPSOIL have been compiled in a knowledge hub. While this platform will remain accessible also after the project’s closure, continuity will be ensured through the SOILL Start-Up project and their successors, with the transfer of the knowledge base, ensuring the continued support and growth of the soil health community across Europe.