Launch of the European project Soil Mission Support (SMS)

On November 1, 2020, the European research project "Soil Mission Support (SMS): towards a European roadmap for soil and land management research and innovation" started.
Sustainable soil and land management is essential to protect our soils and their vital ecosystem services. To support the transition to sustainable soil and land management, the EU-funded SMS project aims to assess current research and innovation activities, identify knowledge gaps and develop a roadmap for research and innovation in Europe.

The two-year Soil Mission Support project is led by a consortium of ten renowned partner organizations, including INRAE, working in the field of soil and land management in seven European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Spain and France). The project is coordinated by the German Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and aims to support the mission "Soil Health and Food" - Horizon Europe.

INRAE (Infosol unit, INRAE Val de Loire) is leading the working group on the identification of soil and land research and innovation actors in the European Union. The analysis will also identify research gaps and identify Living Labs and Lighthouses (model projects) to highlight existing and/or potential solutions.
The project's fields of action range from agriculture and forestry, to land use planning, soil remediation, climate change adaptation and natural disaster prevention.