THE STATES GENERAL FOR SOIL HEALTH – 2nd edition.
Sustainable carbon cycles – Healthy soils for a climate-neutral economy. INTERNATIONAL SESSION

Soil protection is crucial to achieve the challenging and undelayable goals set by the EU Climate Law, which foresees climate neutrality by 2050. The European Soil Monitoring Law, presented by the EC in July 2023, as part of the EU soil strategy for 2030, represents a key step toward healthy soils and sets the path for EU Member States that are expected to act in the same direction. Among other things, the European Commission, DG CLIMA, focuses on sustainable carbon cycles with measures to support new nature-based removals, as carbon farming.

In this scenario, technologies for nature-based solutions increasing soil organic matter (SOM) and carbon (SOC), an EU-wide harmonised framework embedding carbon farming, soil carbon storage and sustainable biomass growth, the development of an EU carbon market, as well as efficient and harmonized data and monitoring systems are key elements to implement concrete programmes aimed at restoring soil health.

In Italy public awareness toward the importance of soils is increasing, partially triggered by multiple projects that are working in synergy at the local, national, and European level to set the course for soil regeneration and improve soil literacy, supported by the efforts of soil ambassadors and communities of practice. In 2024, Italy will also be the host Country of a key event for soil science: The Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences, which will take place on May 19-21 in Florence.

Building upon the successful experience of last year, which led to the development of “The States general for soil health wrap up document” outlining the priorities for soil health, Re Soil Foundation (founded by University of Bologna, Coldiretti, Novamont and Turin Polytechnic), JRC and Ecomondo Scientific Technical Committee launch in Rimini the second States General for Soil Health conference.

The second edition of the States General for Soil Health – “Sustainable carbon cycles – Healthy soils for a climate-neutral economy” will take place on 9th November 2023, with the aim of presenting the latest European policy update and providing an overview of the key elements needed to support a successful soil strategy, such as carbon farming and soil data monitoring systems, in the morning session, and a focus on the Italian scenario in the afternoon, including an overview of the actions taken at the national level toward the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” 100 living labs and lighthouse farms goal to improve soil health (according to APRE, Italy is the second most successful country in the Horizon Mission Soil Calls 2021-2022).

The Global Land Outlook is the lead publication of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Summary for Policy Makers of the Second Edition of the Global Land Outlook, GLO2, will be delivered during the States General for Land Health during the national session, in its Italian translation supported by the NewLife4Drylands and published by ISPRA.

The GLO2 outlines reasons, enabling factors and different pathways through which countries and communities can prevent, reduce, and reverse land degradation by designing and implementing a tailored land restoration program. Moreover, land restoration for recovery and resilience is about creating opportunities for people's livelihoods and development, by changing the way we use and manage our land resources as well as simply creating technical local knowledge and new jobs.

Morning session

Session Chairs

Marta Gomez San Juan, FAO
David Chiaramonti, Polytechnic University of Turin, Re Soil Foundation Founding Member

Programme

10.00-10.15 Welcome

10.15-10.30 Keynote speech
Soil regeneration and circular bioeconomy
Catia Bastioli, Novamont

“The States general for soil health 2022 wrap up document” - What progress has been made?
Speaker from Re Soil Foundation (TBC)

10.35-11.35 Soil and sustainable carbon cycles in the European policy framework

EU Soil Monitoring Law
Mirco Barbero, Team Leader of Soil Team. Unit Land Use & Management, DG ENV

Where we are at with the EU Mission “A soil deal for Europe”
Kerstin Rosenow, Head of Research and Innovation Unit, DG AGRI (remotely)

Sustainable carbon cycles
Christian Holzleitner, Head of Unit, DG Clima

Indicators and thresholds for soil health assessments
Alessandra Zampieri, Director of “Sustainable Resources”, JRC

Biodiversity in soil health and carbon cycling
Jacob Parnell, soil biodiversity specialist, FAO

11.35-12.20 Panel discussion
Setting the scene for carbon farming: best practices and challenges

Moderated by Christian Holzleitner

BIO4A – an example of food, feed, energy and C removal in degraded land: how the energy sector can support the transition, enabling more sustainable agriculture
David Chiaramonti, Polytechnic University of Turin

Integrating Anaerobic Digestion and Biochar in organic waste management to carbon sequestration and fertilisers
Andrea Salimbeni, RECORD

Claire Chenu, Research Director at INRAE and professor of soil science at Agroparistech

Georg Zalidis, Professor in the Laboratory of Remote Sensing, Spectroscopy and GIS and Director of the Interbalkan Environment Center

12.20 Q&A

12.30 Closure