SOILRES project launches to revive Europe’s soils and future-proof farming

(IN BRIEF) SOILRES is a pioneering Horizon Europe initiative that brings together leading scientists, farmers, and innovators across six diverse European regions to co-design and field-test biodiversity-based farming practices—such as cover crops, microbial biostimulants, compost, biochar and digital tools—that restore soil health, bolster crop resilience to climate extremes and reduce environmental impacts like nutrient leaching and biodiversity loss; through hands-on demonstration farms, multi-actor workshops and open-access farmer guides, SOILRES delivers scalable, economically viable regenerative solutions aligned with the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy, driving policy influence and fostering a truly sustainable, resilient agricultural future.

(PRESS RELEASE) VIGO, Spain, 24-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — A new initiative, SOILRES – Soil Health and Crop Resilience through Biodiversity, has officially launched, uniting leading agricultural scientists, farmers, and innovators across Europe in a shared mission to regenerate soil health, strengthen crop resilience, and reduce the environmental impact of farming. Funded under the Horizon Europe programme, the project brings together a diverse network of test sites in Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, and Portugal, each representing key European climate and soil regions.

SOILRES aims to provide practical, science-backed solutions for one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges: how to produce food sustainably in the face of climate extremes, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation. The project focuses on both organic and conventional farming systems, addressing specific regional problems such as drought, nutrient leaching, low productivity, weed pressure, and declining soil fertility. Through the co-design and field testing of biodiversity-based innovations — including cover crops, microbial biostimulants, compost, biochar, and digital tools — SOILRES will deliver regenerative farming strategies that are scalable, economically viable, and adapted to real-farm conditions.

A continental approach to regenerative agriculture
The project is built around six core test sites, each led by local institutions and farmers actively involved in the trials. In Denmark, Aarhus University in collaboration with Institute for Food Studies & Agro Industrial Development will work towards transforming sandy soils with cover crops, perennial wheat systems, and biological amendments to improve nutrient cycling and crop yields. In Finland, the Natural Resources Institute of Finland will pilot cold-adapted regenerative practices, including green manures and compost teas, to enhance the resilience of boreal soils and crops.

France’s site, led by the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, in collaboration with AgroParisTech will introduce innovative strip-cropping techniques that integrate wheat into perennial prairies, improving biodiversity and soil structure on degraded clay soils. Hungary’s Csoroszlya Farm, in collaboration with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Hungary, will be implementing a range of regenerative organic practices — such as minimum tillage, green manures, and real-time soil health monitoring — to combat drought and maintain low-input production.

In Italy, Azienda Agricola La Petrosa will work with the European Delegation for Family Farming in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the University of Naples Federico II, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and the Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Demonstration to evaluate novel composts, biochar-coated seeds, and strip tillage for weed control and enhanced soil fertility under organic management. Meanwhile in Portugal, the School of Agriculture and Quinta da Cholda will be using drones to sow cover crops and apply biostimulants in intensive maize systems, aiming to reduce nitrogen leaching and fertiliser dependency while preserving yields.

Other key academic institutions will also contribute to the project, including University College Cork focusing on the root-microbiota interaction, the Catholic University of Louvain on assessing barriers and/enablers to wider adoption of the innovation , the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research that will use satellite and drone data to spatially map soil health, and the National Agricultural Research Center of Jordan that will run how some of those innovation will perform under increased climatic variability.

In addition, technology-driven SMEs such as LG Italia, MOM and AGROBIOMICS will play a vital role in developing innovative soil improvers, while the Galician Enterprise-University Foundation will lead the project’s communication and dissemination activities.

Each test site not only serves as a research hub but also as a demonstration farm where farmers, agronomists, and stakeholders will engage in workshops, field days, and ongoing knowledge exchange. By combining scientific analysis with farmer-led innovation, SOILRES will produce tangible outcomes, including practical guides for farmers, new machinery prototypes, and digital tools to support adoption.

Through its multi-actor approach, SOILRES is positioned to influence agricultural policy, build farmer capacity, and contribute to Europe’s broader sustainability goals, including the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Soil Mission. The project’s findings will be made publicly available to support replication and upscaling across the continent and beyond.

Driving change from the ground up
Fully aligned with the EU Green Deal and key initiatives such as the Farm to Fork Strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the Soil Mission A Soil Deal for Europe, SOILRES seeks to inform policy, empower farmers, and promote a regenerative approach to agriculture that restores rather than depletes natural capital.

The project will contribute to EU targets on pesticide reduction, the expansion of organic production, and the sustainable management of natural resources as outlined in the Common Agricultural Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals. Project outcomes will be openly shared to facilitate broader uptake and replication across Europe and beyond.

Media contact:
amvarela@feuga.es

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1.What is SOILRES?
SOILRES (Soil Health and Crop Resilience through Biodiversity) is a Horizon Europe–funded initiative that unites agricultural scientists, farmers, technology developers and policy experts across six European countries to develop and demonstrate regenerative, biodiversity-based farming practices.

2. What are the main objectives of SOILRES?

• Restore and maintain healthy, fertile soils
• Boost crop resilience against droughts, nutrient losses and other climate extremes
• Reduce environmental impacts of farming (e.g., nutrient leaching, greenhouse-gas emissions)
• Deliver scalable, economically viable solutions for both organic and conventional systems

3. Which countries and test sites are involved?
SOILRES operates in Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy and Portugal—each site representing a key soil–climate region and led by local research institutions in collaboration with on-farm partners.

4. Which regenerative practices are being tested?
Innovations include:

• Cover-cropping and green manures
• Microbial biostimulants and compost teas
• Biochar and novel compost formulations
• Perennial wheat systems and strip-cropping
• Digital soil-health monitoring tools and drone-assisted applications

5. Who are the key partners and contributors?

• Academic partners: Aarhus University, INRAE/AgroParisTech, University College Cork, ZALF, KU Louvain, NARC Jordan, and others
• Farming partners: Csoroszlya Farm (Hungary), Azienda Agricola La Petrosa (Italy), Quinta da Cholda (Portugal)
• Technology SMEs: LG Italia, MOM, AGROBIOMICS
• Outreach lead: Galician Enterprise-University Foundation

6. How will results be shared and scaled up?
Through open-access outputs including practical farmer guides, prototype machinery designs, decision-support apps and regular on-farm demonstrations (workshops, field days). All materials will be freely available to encourage replication across Europe and beyond.

7. How does SOILRES align with EU policies?
The project supports the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the EU Soil Mission and relevant Common Agricultural Policy targets by promoting pesticide reduction, expanded organic production and sustainable resource management.

SOURCE: Ángela Muñiz/ SOILRES