Long-term drivers and consequences of soil degradation: learning from the past to improve future soil health

Di cosa tratta questo bando?

The topic funds interdisciplinary research on the historical drivers and consequences of soil degradation to inform future soil health policy and management. It targets consortia combining soil, environmental and social sciences and humanities.

Cosa finanzia questo bando?

Scope

The topic funds research into how soils have degraded over past centuries and millennia, to improve understanding of long-term drivers and consequences and to project future soil health under different climate and land management scenarios.

Activities

• Study past soil degradation and its socio-economic, cultural and natural drivers across pedo-climatic regions, using evidence such as historical records, archaeological data, sediment archives, buried soils and archived soil and plant samples.
• Apply and advance methods such as ancient eDNA, pollen, spores, environmental radionuclides and other proxy indicators, integrated across scales.
• Use numerical models and digital tools to reconstruct past patterns, predict future trends and develop pathways for sustainable soil management.
• Involve citizens and stakeholders through citizen science, communication and awareness raising.

Expected outcomes

• Better access for policymakers and stakeholders to quantitative data on long-term soil degradation and projections of future soil health.
• Improved understanding of long-term drivers and consequences, including links with climate, biodiversity, water and nutrient cycles and agricultural competitiveness.
• Greater public awareness of the societal impact of soil degradation and its slow recovery.

Conditions on scope

Development of specific technologies above TRL 4 is outside the scope. Projects should build on results of projects funded under the 2025 Mission Soil topic on drivers and costs of land degradation and work with the EU Soil Observatory and the SoilWise project.

Cosa ci si aspetta dalle proposte?

• International cooperation is strongly encouraged, in particular with China under the EU-China Food, Agriculture and Biosolutions flagship initiative.

Quando scade il bando?

8 aprile 2027 (153 giorni)

Two-stage call: first-stage deadline 8 April 2027, second-stage deadline 14 September 2027.