The coordinator of the European project Soil O-Live, Antonio Manzaneda, professor at the University of Jaén, and the researcher Pasquale Borrelli, from the University Tre Roma, one of the partners of Soil O-Live, participate in the third EU Soil Observatory Forum, convened by EUSO, an annual event organized by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) with the purpose of actively engaging and exchanging with the soil community, from policy makers and scientists to local actors, representatives of civil society and citizens.
Pasquale Borrelli will speak tomorrow, November 15, at 10 a.m. and Antonio Manzaneda will speak on November 17, at the same time.
This third forum starting tomorrow is an opportunity for anyone interested in soils to catch up and exchange information on various topics.
“Currently, more than 60% of EU soils are considered to be in an unhealthy state,” recalls Professor Manzaneda, who coordinates this project from the University of Jaén. The recently developed Soil Health Panel within the European Union Soil Observatory (EUSO) shows the location and estimates the extent of unhealthy soils in the European Union (EU), as well as the degradation processes behind them.
The EUSO is a step towards achieving the ambition of healthy soils by 2050, by identifying the most pressing drivers of soil degradation, but also helping Member States to identify areas under greatest pressure. In line with the European Commission’s proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Act, the EUSO scorecard represents a first step towards assessing soil health in the EU, but also the progress of EU soil-related policies.
In the same context, between 21 and 23 November, the European Soil Mission Week is being held in Madrid. The event, which takes place in person, is organized by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) in the context of the Horizon Europe Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” (Mission Soil) together with JRC’s EUSO and the EU-funded PREPSOIL project.
