Skip to main content
Knowledge4Policy
Knowledge for policy
EU Soil Observatory

The principal provider of reference data and knowledge at EU-level for all matters relating to soil.

  • Topic / Tool | Last updated: 30 Sep 2025

Research & Innovation at EUSO

A key objective of the EU Soil Observatory is to support research and innovation, and to intensify targeted research, data and monitoring on soils. This includes supporting the Mission Soil, and the EUSO’s in-house research activities.

Brief me

  • The Horizon Europe Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ (Mission Soil) of the Horizon Europe research programme directly supports the implementation of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 by finding solutions to protect and restore soil health.
  • EU Soil Observatory is actively involved in, and responsible for, the soil monitoring elements of the Mission Soil.
  • The objective of the Mission Soil is to build a network of 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils.
  • The EU Soil Observatory will integrate research outcomes of the Mission Soil projects and will become the repository for the projects outputs.
  • Over the past 10 years, the Soil Group of the JRC (EUSO) has published more than 445 scientific papers.

Explore further

Including land management in a European carbon model with lateral transfer to the oceans

The use of cover crops (CCs) is a promising cropland management practice with multiple benefits, notably in reducing soil erosion and increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage…

Development of a spatial risk indicator for monitoring residential pesticide exposure in agricultural areas

The global increase in pesticide use has raised concerns about its impact on biodiversity, ecosystems, and human health, in particular of people living near agricultural areas…

Opportunities for optimizing phosphorus inputs in EU agricultural soils

Excessive phosphorus (P) fertilization has resulted in elevated soil P concentrations in some regions in the EU. Legacy soil P imposes a risk for soil functioning…

EUSO 5th Stakeholder Forums

The EUSO Stakeholders Forum is an open and inclusive platform bringing together soil scientists, policy makers, regional and national representatives, land managers and interested citizens. It…

Latest knowledge