Agriculture: A project for sustainable soil management

Combating climate change, preventing land degradation and fostering the development of a bioeconomy through resilient agricultural soil management was the aim of the European project EJP SOIL ^[1] in which ENEA participated by developing activities together with stakeholders, member states and the relevant directorate general of the European Union ^[2]. The goal was to promote farmers as ‘custodians of the earth’ and soil resources, able to support climate measures and the implementation of European policies, particularly the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

ENEA contributed to activities such as developing a roadmap for agricultural soil research and providing harmonized information to the implementation of joint research initiatives.

 “This project has been a profitable opportunity to establish an international research network working on issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation to foster sustainable and food-secure agricultural production,” said EJP SOIL manager for ENEA Annamaria Bevivino, a researcher at the Department of Sustainability, circularity and climate change adaptation of production and land systems.

 “The sharing and transfer of knowledge provided by the EJP SOIL is part of the capacity building of young researchers to harmonize soil knowledge and overcome obstacles that may arise in the adoption of new practices under European policies,” said Bevivino.

In the project's final event, held in Rome, concrete knowledge and operational tools were provided for improving soil management and raise awareness of issues such as carbon sequestration through the use of, for example, organic soil improvers.

"The EJP SOIL project has emphasized the crucial role of research in soil-related policymaking, highlighting the necessity for ongoing collaboration between policymakers and scientists to prioritize soil health on the EU agenda. Effective soil policies implementation requires sustained research investment, harmonized monitoring and tailored support mechanisms for farmers," concluded Bevivino.