States general for soil health – III edition: opportunities for soil regeneration and climate neutrality: carbon farming and nature-based solutions. International session

According to the European Soil Observatory, about 60 to 70% of soils in the EU are currently likely to be affected by one or more soil degradation processes, among all by soil sealing.
Agricultural soils annually lose 7.4 million tons of CO2 due to the too-rapid mineralization that occurs, almost unnoticed, under agricultural crops, the same soil where seventy-eight percent of soil consumption occurs. Ecosystems in the Mediterranean area are particularly vulnerable and the region itself is warming 20% faster than the global average (source: UNEP).
Unhealthy soil generates side effects and is unable to provide essential ecosystem services, such as: producing safe nutrition and food, providing biodiversity, purifying and regulating water and its cycle, ensuring adequate nutrient cycling, storing CO2 contributing to carbon and mitigating climate, and ultimately supporting human activities as a whole.
Lately, the debate about the urgent need for soil conservation has increased at all levels in Europe, partially due to the efforts of the European Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”. And the publication of the Soil Strategy in November 2022 launched the process to adopt a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience.

The third edition of the “States General for Soil Health – opportunities for soil regeneration and climate neutrality: carbon positive actions and nature-based solutions” will take place on 7th November 2024. In the morning session, the latest European policy updates and an overview of the key elements needed to protect soil health, such as carbon farming and nature-based solutions, as well as best practices for soil regeneration on different types of soil’s use will be explored and discussed. The afternoon session will offer an overview of the Italian scenario, with a focus on regenerative agriculture and on best practice of soil regenation in the local communties.

Morning Session

Session Chairs

Serenella Sala, HOU JRC
David Chiaramonti, Turin Polytechnic & Member of Re Soil Foundation Scientific Technical Committee

Programme

10.00 Welcome
Massimiliano Conti, MASE

10.30-10.40 Introduction by the Chairs

10.40-11.30 European policy framework update

10.40-10.55 Status of EU Soil legislation on soil, carbon farming, nature-based solutions
Serenella Sala, HOU JRC

10.55-11.10 Status of Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming in EU
Valeria Forlin, DG CLIMA (remotely)

11.10-11.25 Status of the EU mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”
Kerstin Rosenow, HOU DG AGRI (remotely)

11.30-12.05 Best practice for soil regeneration

11.30-11.40 Agricultural soil
Speaker, LILAS4SOILS - Fostering Carbon Farming Practices through LIving LAbS in the Mediterranean and Southern EU for the healthy future of European SOILS
Nicola Bergonzi and Andrea Fiorini, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

11.40-11.50 Urban/peri-urban soil
Restoration of urban soils
Michele Munafò, ISPRA (TBC)

11.50-12.00 Forests
Antonio Brunori, PEFC Italy Genera Secretary

12.05-12.40 Panel
Nature-based solutions: case studies

Moderated by:
Virginia Puzzolo, CBEJU Head of programme unit

12.15-12.25 FIBSUN project
Francesco Balducci, Manifaktura srl

12.25-12.35 BeonNAT - Innovative value chains from tree & shrub species grown in marginal lands as a source of biomass for bio-based industries
Luis Saúl Esteban Pascual, CEDER-CIEMAT – project coordinator

12.40 Q&A and Conclusions