Soil protection, Égalité signs the European Mission Soil

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Published by Alessandra Mei on April 24, 2023

Soil protection

The health of the soil it is an aspect whose importance perhaps we do not fully know and we worry less about water and air. However, life on Earth relies on healthy soils. 95% of food production and 25% of biodiversity depend on soils. Healthy soils capture 80% of global carbon, making it the largest carbon sink in the world.

agricultural practices unsustainable, the wild overbuilding that takes 40.000 hectares of land away from nature every year means that the soil is no longer able to store carbon and, on the contrary, releases it into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, negatively affecting climate change . Furthermore, the massive use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides have reduced its fertility. It is estimated that around 60% of the soils of the European Union are today considered unhealthy if not degraded and at risk of desertification. (1)

The EU soil protection strategy

In 2021 the European Union, aware of the importance of restoring soils to safeguard the human health of current and future generations, has launched the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 to ensure the achievement of the following objectives by 2050:

make soils healthier and more resilient so they can continue to provide their essential ecosystem services;
zero net land use and lower pollution levels to levels that are no longer harmful to people's health and ecosystems;
make soil protection, sustainable management and restoration of degraded soils common standards for policies in all Member States. (2)

The poster Mission Soil fits into this strategy through the creation of an engaged and sharing community of practices at European level. It aims to create 100 living labs (places for field experiments) and lighthouses (sites for disseminating good practices) to lead the transition to healthy soils through linking research with civil society, science-based policies, monitoring of the soil, encouraging investments and effective communication.

The eight goals specific to Mission Soil are:

reduce desertification,
keep the stock soil carbon,
stop soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils,
reduce soil pollution and improve soil restoration,
erosion prevention,
improvement of EU soil structure,
improvement of soil literacy in society.

The document it can be signed by representatives of public bodies, companies, private or public organizations, NGOs, schools and research bodies. Individual citizens can also sign the manifesto by becoming Friend of the Mission by joining this great community. All signatories will be updated on the progress of the mission, on the proposals and scheduled events and will be updated on the development of the projects. And the first of these events of the European Mission Soil Fair will be held in November of the current year. (3)

Joy Park

Égalité, as a non-profit association, has made this commitment by presenting its project ' Joy Park'. A park to prevent 20 square meters of abandoned area in one of the most densely populated areas of Rome, the Magliana – Pian due Torri area, from being cemented.

The project is to give the soil back to the inhabitants of the area. Create an inclusive park, without architectural barriers that hinder the use of the elderly and people with disabilities. Regenerate an urban area through a Paulownia forest, a fast-growing plant capable of storing large quantities of CO2.

Solar panels and wind turbines di Design to make lighting sustainable. Creation of spaces for urban gardens, with the possibility of holding workshops for the community and an open-air theater as a hub for exchange and sharing. (4)

Alessandra Mei