InBestSoil is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme involving twenty partners from ten countries, with very different profiles (universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, consultancies, farmers, and NOGs, among others). The project will provide data, evidence, tools and models to assess how investment in soil health can contribute to the transition to a long-term resilient and sustainable use of soil, using 6 lighthouses and 3 living labs, which provides a total of 9 study areas across 4 biogeographic regions from Europe (Boreal, Continental, Atlantic, Mediterranean), and different land uses (agriculture, forest, urban, mining), as models for co-creation and co-design (multi-actor approach, responsible research and innovation and open science).
48 Months from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2026
General objectives
The objective of InBestSoil is to co-create a framework for investment in conservation and recovery of soil health, by developing an economic valuation system of the ecosystem services delivered by a healthy soil and the impacts of soil interventions, and its incorporation into business models and incentives. This will allow public and private organizations to give economic value to their actions over soil health, codesign strategies with local stakeholders, and work collectively to deliver national and EU policy ambitions.
CMCC role
CMCC will lead WP6 Policy and incentives to facilitate investment in soil health
CMCC will contribute to:
WP1 Project coordination, management and ethics,
WP2 Stakeholder communities for co-creation, co-innovation, and co-learning,
WP3 Economic valuation of the soil ecosystem services and the impacts of soil interventions,
WP5 New business models for soil health,
WP7 Communication, dissemination, and exploitation
Activities
CMCC will analyse the current political situation concerning soil health, develop tools, certification/labelling opportunities and propose guidelines to introduce the economic aspect of soil health into incentives and policies.
Expected results
The project will contribute to mitigate climate change, reduce pollution and nutrient losses, reduce desertification risks, improve soil biodiversity, while generating fair economic returns, providing a physical platform and cultural services for humans and their activities, fostering the competitiveness of the EU companies and promoting fair trade.
Coordinating organization
UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO
Partners
UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE CARTAGENA, Inxenia Desarrollos Tecnológicos S.L, Centro de Valorización Ambiental del Norte, WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY, FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR BIOLOGISCHEN LANDBAU STIFTUNG, FUNDACION GLOBAL NATURE, SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU AGRONOMSKI FAKULTET, MYKOLO ROMERIO UNIVERSITETAS, LATVIJAS VALSTS MEZZINATNES INSTITUTS SILAVA, June Communications SRL, JURRIUS ANDREAS, AGRIS SARDEGNA – AGENZIA PER LA RICERCA IN AGRICOLTURA, ZABALA INNOVATION CONSULTING, S.A, LGI SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION, Latvijas Valsts mezzinatnes instituta “Silava” un Latvijas Lauksaimniecibas universitates valsts zinatniskas izpetes mezu apsaimniekosanas agentura “Meza petisanas stacija”, Udea BV, Actyva Sociedad Cooperativa, THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER