Soil Health Benchmarks (original) (raw)
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Harmonising soil health monitoring in Europe
BENCHMARKS integrates local knowledge with cutting-edge research to co-create a common language for soil health — one that bridges science, policy, and practice. LEARN MORE Harmonising soil health monitoring
in Europe BENCHMARKS integrates local knowledge with cutting-edge research to co-create a common language for soil health — one that bridges science, policy, and practice. LEARN MORE
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification Support
By partnering with us, we can help you adapt our scientifically robust Smart Soil Health Indicators to achieve your soil assessment goals. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification Support By partnering with us, we can help you adapt our scientifically robust Smart Soil Health Indicators to achieve your soil assessment goals. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST
Soil Stakeholder Insights Explorer
Discover how soil health is understood by stakeholders from different regions, land-uses or backgrounds. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Soil Stakeholder Insights Explorer Discover how soil health is understood by stakeholders from different regions, land-uses or backgrounds. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Citizen Science
Tools Repository
Whether you are an NGO, a business or a school, this interactive tool will help you find the best citizen science methods to measure soil health. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Citizen Science
Tools Repository Whether you are an NGO, a business or a school, this interactive tool will help you find the best citizen science methods to measure soil health. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Soil Health Glossary
Our flexible and dynamic glossary gathers and translates key soil health terms from EU and scientific sources to break down language barriers and improve accessibility to soil health knowledge. EXPLORE THE GLOSSARY EXPLORE THE GLOSSARY Soil Health
Glossary Our flexible and dynamic glossary gathers and translates key soil health terms from EU and scientific sources to break down language barriers and improve accessibility to soil health knowledge.
Soil Sampling Protocols
Discover our harmonised soil sampling protocols, adapted to three key land use types and designed to offer practical guidance for field sampling, processing, and analysis of soil health indicators. ACCESS THE PROTOCOLS ACCESS THE PROTOCOLS
Soil Sampling Protocols Discover our harmonised soil sampling protocols, adapted to three key land use types and designed to offer practical guidance for field sampling, processing, and analysis of soil health indicators.
Harmonising soil health monitoring in Europe
BENCHMARKS integrates local knowledge with cutting-edge research to co-create a common language for soil health — one that bridges science, policy, and practice. LEARN MORE Harmonising soil health monitoring
in Europe BENCHMARKS integrates local knowledge with cutting-edge research to co-create a common language for soil health — one that bridges science, policy, and practice. LEARN MORE
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification Support
By partnering with us, we can help you adapt our scientifically robust Smart Soil Health Indicators to achieve your soil assessment goals. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST
Monitoring, Reporting & Verification Support By partnering with us, we can help you adapt our scientifically robust Smart Soil Health Indicators to achieve your soil assessment goals. EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST
Soil Stakeholder Insights Explorer
Discover how soil health is understood by stakeholders from different regions, land-uses or backgrounds. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Soil Stakeholder Insights Explorer Discover how soil health is understood by stakeholders from different regions, land-uses or backgrounds. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Citizen Science
Tools Repository
Whether you are an NGO, a business or a school, this interactive tool will help you find the best citizen science methods to measure soil health. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Citizen Science
Tools Repository Whether you are an NGO, a business or a school, this interactive tool will help you find the best citizen science methods to measure soil health. EXPLORE THE TOOL
Soil Health Glossary
Our flexible and dynamic glossary gathers and translates key soil health terms from EU and scientific sources to break down language barriers and improve accessibility to soil health knowledge. EXPLORE THE GLOSSARY EXPLORE THE GLOSSARY Soil Health
Glossary Our flexible and dynamic glossary gathers and translates key soil health terms from EU and scientific sources to break down language barriers and improve accessibility to soil health knowledge.
Soil Sampling Protocols
Discover our harmonised soil sampling protocols, adapted to three key land use types and designed to offer practical guidance for field sampling, processing, and analysis of soil health indicators. ACCESS THE PROTOCOLS ACCESS THE PROTOCOLS
Soil Sampling Protocols Discover our harmonised soil sampling protocols, adapted to three key land use types and designed to offer practical guidance for field sampling, processing, and analysis of soil health indicators.
Revolutionising how we monitor soil health
BENCHMARKS is a Horizon Europe project aimed at transforming how Europe monitors soil health. We’re building a transparent, harmonised and cost-effective soil health framework designed to work from local and national to EU scales. Co-developed with experts and local actors, it addresses the needs of land managers, policymakers, scientists and businesses to tackle soil health challenges.
Applying science to the real world
BENCHMARKS brings together local and expert data, co-developing the monitoring framework with stakeholders at 28 soil health monitoring sites in 11 European countries, spanning urban, agricultural and forestry landscapes. The results from testing and validating this framework will feed into BENCHMARKS’s key output: a user-friendly Soil Health Dashboard to support decision-making and sustainable land management.
Providing the science to help you measure soil health
At BENCHMARKS, we help actors and institutions across all scales —from cooperatives to ministries— develop robust, science-based soil health Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV) systems tailored to their needs. Our offer? Practical tools, expert guidance, and co-creation that turns soil health from a concept into measurable, actionable outcomes.
Providing the science to help you measure soil health
At BENCHMARKS, we help actors and institutions across all scales —from cooperatives to ministries— develop robust, science-based soil health Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV) systems tailored to their needs. Our offer? Practical tools, expert guidance, and co-creation that turns soil health from a concept into measurable, actionable outcomes.
Providing the science to help you measure soil health
At BENCHMARKS, we help actors and institutions across all scales —from cooperatives to ministries— develop robust, science-based soil health Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV) systems tailored to their needs. Our offer? Practical tools, expert guidance, and co-creation that turns soil health from a concept into measurable, actionable outcomes.
Bridging science and community to improve our soils
We empower communities to play an active role in monitoring and improving soil health, through engaging, hands-on events and accessible citizen science tools.
‘A Soil Deal for Europe’
BENCHMARKS is a Horizon Europe project funded under the EU Mission A Soil Deal for Europe (Mission Soil), which leads the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.
The project will support Mission Soil by developing an integrated soil monitoring framework to track progress towards soil health across Europe. BENCHMARKS also promotes close collaboration with other Mission Soil projects, creating opportunities for ongoing networking and knowledge exchange.
Together with partner projects, BENCHMARKS co-initiated the Mission Soil Cluster, a collaborative initiative to strengthen interaction and communication between projects and stakeholders. You can stay up to date with news and events from the wider Mission Soil community via the Mission Soil Platform.
‘A Soil Deal for Europe’
BENCHMARKS is a Horizon Europe project funded under the EU Mission A Soil Deal for Europe (Mission Soil), which leads the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.
The project will support Mission Soil by developing an integrated soil monitoring framework to track progress towards soil health across Europe. BENCHMARKS also promotes close collaboration with other Mission Soil projects, creating opportunities for ongoing networking and knowledge exchange.
Together with partner projects, BENCHMARKS co-initiated the Mission Soil Cluster, a collaborative initiative to strengthen interaction and communication between projects and stakeholders. You can stay up to date with news and events from the wider Mission Soil community via the Mission Soil Platform.
Our vision for soil health
Soil health means good chemical, biological and physical condition of soils—and their capacity to deliver vital ecosystem services. Maintaining it and restoring it demands transformative change across sectors, land uses and scales. Achieving the goal of all European soils to be healthy and resilient by 2050 requires a decisive shift where soil protection, sustainable use and restoration become the norm. BENCHMARKS supports this transition with robust, science-based monitoring and practical tools that contribute to climate neutrality, a clean circular economy and human health, while addressing biodiversity loss, desertification and land degradation.
Our vision for soil health
Soil health means good chemical, biological and physical condition of soils—and their capacity to deliver vital ecosystem services. Maintaining it and restoring it demands transformative change across sectors, land uses and scales. Achieving the goal of all European soils to be healthy and resilient by 2050 requires a decisive shift where soil protection, sustainable use and restoration become the norm. BENCHMARKS supports this transition with robust, science-based monitoring and practical tools that contribute to climate neutrality, a clean circular economy and human health, while addressing biodiversity loss, desertification and land degradation.
News
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, under Grant Agreement: 101091010. © BENCHMARKS 2022
The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.
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