Soil4Life
Adapted from the project website
Objectives
Soil4Life is a European project that involves Italian, French and Croatian partners, which aims to promote sustainable use of the soil as a strategic, limited and non-renewable resource. A goal in line with the commitment signed by the European countries at the United Nations table, through adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals – SDG.
Co-financed by the European Commission through the Life programme, Soil4Life involves associations and research institutions convinced that the soil must be preserved with concrete actions and policies, supported by analyses and data that allow monitoring of the ecological status. Soil4Life pursues the application of the Voluntary Guidelines for sustainable soil management promoted by FAO, adapting them to national, regional and local contexts, and provides information and support to territorial planning involving the agricultural sector and sector professionals (agronomists, geologists, urban planners and designers). Soil4Life also aims to increase citizens’ awareness of soil protection and to raise awareness among national and EU institutions of the need to adopt adequate regulations to stop soil consumption and prevent its degradation.
Some of the specific project objectives include:
- Improving governance of land-use decision-making processes at national, regional and local level
- Providing decision makers and stakeholders with the information necessary for soil protection and planning support tools
- Increasing knowledge and awareness of farmers and the agricultural world on the role of agriculture in soil protection
- Increasing knowledge and awareness in the world of freelancers (agronomists, architects, geologists and surveyors) about the soil problem
- Achieving a higher level of citizen consent to policies in favour of soil protection
- Raising awareness among community institutions and other member states about the need to adopt adequate regulations to reduce land consumption and to promote sustainable use.
- Promoting the reduction of soil consumption in urban planning.
- Increasing awareness of farms and stakeholders (institutions, technicians, citizenship), with respect to ecosystem services generated by the adoption of appropriate practices to maintain or restore adequate organic carbon content in agricultural soils.