Soil Health Benchmarks

🚨Glossary alert! Public forests represent a shared resource that benefits everyone. When well managed, they can contribute to ecological health, local economies, and community well-being.🌳 What do we mean by forest public ownership? #Glossary #Forest #SoilHealth #Benchmarks

Dear soil health enthusiasts, we’ve officially moved our X account presence to Bluesky! We are making this move because we highly value a healthy and safe place to interact with our scientific community and stakeholders, share our project results and learn about other initiatives caring for soil health. We’re excited about the opportunities this move brings for deeper engagement and collaboration. Follow us and join the conversation to achieve healthier soils! 👉 Follow us on Bluesky: @shbenchmarks.bsky.social https://lnkd.in/edVnzDSc Stay connected, and let’s continue growing together in this new space!

🌍 Happy World Soil Day 2024! 🌱 Every year on December 5 we celebrate the precious resource that lies beneath us: soil! This year’s #WorldSoilDay theme "Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage" highlights the vital role of soil data in supporting sustainable management and food security.  At BENCHMARKS we care about soil data because we care about soil health. Soil data is essential to monitor the health of our soils and to manage them sustainably. But collecting and using data often lacks consistency and presents multiple challenges. We aim to reduce these challenges by creating a multi-scale and multi-user focused monitoring framework that is transparent, harmonised and cost-effective. Discover why soil data matters and what we can do collect and use soil data for effective soil health protection.🤲🌱 #WorldSoilDay #SoilHealth #BENCHMARKS [The information in this post has been adapted from the official World Soil Day campaign by FAO and the Global Soil Partnership.]

Understanding data is the first step in promoting change. If you’re interested in soil practices and policies, I strongly recommend attending the webinar "Caring for Soils: Insights from EU Mission Soil Projects on Measurement, Monitoring, and Management," taking place on 12 December 2024 at 10:00 CET and organized by the SOILL-Startup project. David Robinson will present "AI4SoilHealth – Pan-European Digital Infrastructure and Soil Health Analysis." He’s an inspiring speaker with a gift of making the complexity of soil data accessible to potential users—even lawyers :) #ai4soilhealth https://lnkd.in/dvG_WDfC

Join us on 12 December 2024 at 10:00 CET to explore soil solutions with leading Mission Soil EU projects like AI4Soil Health, BENCHMARKS, and MRV4SOC, in this webinar organised by the SOILL-Startup. Discover innovations in soil measurement, monitoring, and management, bridging science and practice. 🌱 👥 Who should not miss it? ✔ Mission Soil Living Labs ✔ Soil researchers & innovators ✔ Policy-makers, land managers, and private sector stakeholders 🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/eBdh8wRM #WorldSoilDay #SoilInnovation #SoilHealth #EUMissionSoil #BENCHMARKS

🚨New blog alert! Did you know that 40% of the planet’s land is already degraded? Soil desertification is a pressing challenge that threatens our availability to feed a growing population whilst combating climate change and protecting biodiversity.  To coincide with the the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) 🌍 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), taking place 2-13 December, we dedicate our latest blog post to better understanding what desertification is, its environmental and socio-economic impacts, and solutions to reverse it. Read the blog now! 🔗https://lnkd.in/edpFpABs #UNnited4Land #SoilHealth #BENCHMARKS #Desertification

🚨Glossary alert! Soil health and soil resilience are interconnected. When soils are healthy, they become more resilient against environmental challenges. Are you familar with the term 'soil resilience'? Learn what we mean by it! #Glossary #SoilHealth #Benchmarks #Resilience

It’s day 2 at #MissionSoilWeek! We’ve been busy engaging in really inspiring discussions around human-soil relations and presenting our vision and progress of BENCHMARKS to participants. A key theme emerging from the expert panel is the importance of ensuring that science connects with the people it impacts. Knowledge should empower tangible change, not exist in isolation. Integrating soil science with social sciences and art can transform soil conservation into a collaborative movement, driving greater awareness and action at every level. 🌱 💫 Anna Krzywoszynska, from the University of Oulu reminds us that “Science won’t save soil; people will.” She emphasizes that research projects should aim to drive social change, not just generate knowledge. To truly build a sustainable soil community, soil carers need to be involved from the beginning. Hans Dencker Thulstrup from UNESCO echoed the need for a multidisciplinary approach, calling for a discourse that resonates across diverse stakeholder groups. 🤝 Soil artist Alexandra Toland, from Bauhaus Universität Weimar, highlighted the importance of representing soil in its true regional and social contexts, rather than relying on artificial imagery. As we continue through Mission Soil Week, the call to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice and to bring together science, art, and community engagement grows louder. 📢 We are proud and excited to be part of this Mission, and the smiley faces of Fabio Volkmann’s, Alexander Berlin’s and Paolo Di Lonardo’s say it all! Follow the event online and explore the challenges and innovative solutions for healthier #soils! ▶️ https://lnkd.in/dUdNF8Ar Saty tuned for more updates on BENCHMARKS’ participation at the European Soil Mission Week! #MissionSoil #EUMissions #SaveOurSoil #Soilhealth #BENCHMARKS #EUGreenDeal #SoilConservation #ArtAndScience #CommunityEngagement

🚀 It's the start of the European #MissionSoilWeek 2024! As one of the key European projects dedicated to achieving healthy soils by 2030, BENCHMARKS is in Brussels joining the discussion and, most importantly, strengthening collaboration with fellow projects in the EU Soil Mission. With soils degrading rapidly and climate change intensifying its devastating impacts, as seen recently in Spain, the urgency to act is greater than ever. As Joanna Drake from the European Commission’s Research & Innovation has emphasised, this is a pivotal moment for stakeholders to unite, celebrate, and foster stronger partnerships for soil health. 🤝 🌱 Despite growing interest in soil research, a gap remains between knowledge and practice. Kerstin Rosenow of the European Commission, has underscored this challenge, noting the Soil Mission’s need to bridge this divide. Anne-Catherine Dalcq, young farmer and newly appointed agriculture minister in Wallonia, has called for research findings to be readily available for farmers, enabling actionable solutions for agriculture. 🌽 Currently, knowledge on sustainable soil management is often inaccessible, leaving farmers and land managers without essential, context-specific data. Bridging this gap requires a harmonised, systematic approach to soil monitoring. BENCHMARKS tackles this challenge through 29 case studies across Europe, spanning agricultural, forest, and urban soils. Our mission is to create a transparent, cost-effective Soil Health Monitoring Framework that adapts to diverse soils, scales, and land users, enabling effective, sustainable soil management for the future. 💫 Follow the event online and explore the challenges and innovative solutions for healthier #soils! ▶️ https://lnkd.in/dUdNF8Ar Saty tuned for more updates on BENCHMARKS’ participation at the European Soil Mission Week! #MissionSoil #EUMissions #SaveOurSoil #Soilhealth #BENCHMARKS #EUGreenDeal

🚨Glossary alert! Reforestation is vital for our planet! It combats climate change by absorbing CO₂, enhances biodiversity, protects soil health, and improves water quality. What exactly do we mean by reforestation?🌲 #Glossary #Reforestation #SoilHealth #Benchmarks