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Soil health: is it serious, doctor?

We tread on it every day, it is part of our daily life but we still too often forget to take it into account. However, the soil is essential. It plays a vital role as a substrate for crops, allows the infiltration and filtration of rainwater and stores atmospheric carbon. Soil is home to more than 25% of all biodiversity on the planet and forms the basis of food chains that nourish humanity and surface biodiversity. Soil also constitutes the largest reservoir of carbon interacting with the atmosphere. This characteristic, combined with their sponge function to absorb water and reduce the risks of flooding and drought, makes soils an essential ally for adaptation to the effects of climate change. Its quality or, on the contrary, its degradation can have an impact on our health, our environment and our economy.

In the European Union, 60 to 70% of soils are degraded and this costs €50 billion per year. It is the future of Europe itself which is threatened. This is why the European Commission has developed an ambitious strategy for the protection and sustainable management of soils by 2030. This strategy aims to be holistic and integrated and addresses all soil threats: erosion, compaction, salinization, acidification, waterproofing, pollution, loss of organic matter, nutrients and biodiversity, desertification, etc. According to the European Soil 2030 strategy, 100% of soils must be healthy by 2050. It considers that it is not possible to succeed in other European strategies, notably those relating to food and biodiversity, nor even to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 without a real sustainable and integrated land management policy. A European directive on soil monitoring and resilience is currently being discussed within the 27 Member States, under the Belgian presidency, and aims to translate the recommendations of the Soil 2030 strategy into a series of binding actions for all 27 member states.

Since 2/5/2024, the Brussels-Capital Region has officially had its own Good Soil strategy. Indeed, the Brussels Government has decided, after numerous consultations with all stakeholders, to protect its soils and restore those which are already degraded by 2050. In particular, the Government wishes to limit the artificialization of soils and is launching a technical and financial feasibility study. In their approaches, the Commission and the Brussels-Capital Region introduce the notion of healthy soils and the ecosystem services that soils provide us. The notion of soil health has been defined as follows: soils whose chemical, biological and physical characteristics allow it to permanently provide a maximum of ecosystem services (food production, carbon storage, regulation of the water cycle, support for biodiversity, etc.).

The Walloon and Flemish Regions are already very active in sustainable land management and numerous projects have seen the light of day there, also in line with the strategies of the Commission and the Brussels-Capital Region.

On December 5 & 6, in Brussels, Intersoil 2024 will be a unique opportunity to meet the players at the heart of these developments. It is this challenge that this 5th edition of Intersoil, carried out in partnership with Bruxelles Environnement, invites you to take on.

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