Healthy soils as a booster to EU competitiveness

The European Union's strategic agenda for 2024–2029 prioritizes a prosperous and competitive Europe, with soil health potentially playing a role in achieving this goal. However, the current state of European soils is of concern, with over 60 % of soils not in healthy condition, as reported by the European Union’s Soil Mission Board and the EU Soil Observatory. This results not only in environmental issues, but also economic ones, as the costs of soil degradation in the EU are estimated to be higher than €50 billion per year, underscoring the need for soil health to be placed more prominently on the political agenda. Soil-related business models, including biotechnology, remediation of contaminated sites, carbon removals and farming, regenerative agriculture, and agritech solutions, can contribute to EU competitiveness. These business models may help address most of the challenges posed by soil degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss, while promoting sustainable agriculture practices and improving ecosystem functioning. The EU's soil remediation market is valued at €8.5 billion, with an annual growth rate of 5 %. The EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation provides a framework for certifying carbon removals, with potential revenue of €6 billion per year. Regenerative agriculture, which prioritises soil health and ecosystem services, can increase crop yields, reduce dependency on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, and promote biodiversity. Agritech solutions, such as precision agriculture and artificial intelligence, can optimize farming practices, reduce costs, and improve environmental sustainability. Here we present the potential of soil-related business models to contribute to EU competitiveness, while addressing environmental and societal challenges. However, a number of challenges remain and need to be addressed as the need for acceleration, a clear policy framework, a closer collaboration of different actors in the food supply chain and a digital transformation are still needed.