Building soil monitoring into policy

Building soil monitoring into policy

Part of the “Envisioning the future of soil health monitoring” series for AI 4 Soil Health (AI4SH), hosted by Soil Association.

What data do policymakers need to protect soils, and how will the new EU Soil Monitoring Law help deliver it? How can projects like AI4SH support member states in turning the Soil Monitoring Law into effective monitoring systems on the ground? What lessons can we learn from Denmark’s approach to integrating soil monitoring into its national environmental monitoring programme?

Sign up to this free webinar to join leading experts to discuss these topics and learn more about how soil science is being used to develop European policies.

In this webinar we are joined by AI 4 Soil Health project partners and policy experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing the new Soil Monitoring Law across Europe. The panel will explore how robust soil data can bridge the gap between science and policy, what practical steps are needed to embed monitoring into national programmes, and how collaborative projects can accelerate progress towards healthier soils across the EU.

We are joined by:

• Giovanna Giuffrè, Senior Researcher and Partner at ISINNOVA

• Prof. Mogens Humlekrog Greve, Head of Soil Section at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University

• Dr. Lucas de Carvalho Gomes, Postdoctoral Researcher at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University

What to Expect?

• Giovanna Giuffrè (Senior Researcher and Partner at ISINNOVA) specialises in foresight, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to foster meaningful science–policy dialogue. With over 15 years of experience in EU research projects focused on sustainability, land management, and agriculture, she will share insights from AI 4 Soil Health’s stakeholder consultations, highlighting the need for detailed soil data to inform policy. Her contribution will focus on how the proposed Soil Monitoring Law can help close critical gaps in scale and scope to strengthen decision-making for soil health conservation and remediation.

• Hear from Prof. Mogens Humlekrog Greve and Dr. Lucas de Carvalho Gomes of Aarhus University, who will share insights from Denmark’s experience in preparing for the implementation of the Soil Monitoring Law. They will discuss how their research has simulated the rollout of soil monitoring units, the role of national ministries in embedding soil into environmental monitoring programmes, and the practical challenges and opportunities of turning EU-level legislation into effective systems at the member state level.

• Ask your questions to Giovanna, Mogens and Lucas through a live Q&A.

This webinar series for AI 4 Soil Health explores how AI, open data and new research is transforming soil health monitoring and management across Europe. Find out more about the AI 4 Soil Health project: https://ai4soilhealth.eu/about and watch our previous webinars: Envisioning the future of soil health monitoring - Youtube.

Why now?

On 29 September 2025, the European Council formally adopted the first-ever EU-wide directive for soil monitoring - a landmark step towards healthier and more resilient soils by 2050. The new Soil Monitoring Law requires member states to set up systems to track the physical, chemical and biological condition of soils using a common EU methodology. Regular reporting to the Commission and the European Environment Agency will ensure comparable data across the EU, enabling coordinated action on soil degradation. The law also extends monitoring to emerging contaminants such as PFAS, pesticides and microplastics.

With the European Parliament’s final vote scheduled for 20 October, just days before this webinar, this is a pivotal moment to explore what the law means in practice. How will monitoring be implemented across member states? What data will be needed? And how can projects like AI 4 Soil Health support the transition from policy to action?

Who Should Attend?

• Policy makers and civil servants who are engaged in soil-related strategies, projects, or regulatory initiatives.

• Research leaders and scientific experts involved in soil monitoring programmes, Living Labs and the development of research and innovation policy recommendations.

• Practitioners and innovators working on soil health and using or testing new monitoring approaches.

• Stakeholders from civil society, NGOs, and grassroots movements with an active interest in soil health.

• Private sector representatives contributing to or benefiting from soil health innovations.

Recording and photography: Recording and/or photography will take place at this event. We will be asking for your consent through our booking form.

Data protection: Soil Association takes data protection seriously and will only collect essential data from participants necessary to use for the running of this event.

The Soil Association's full privacy policy is available here: Privacy Policy | Soil Association

By registering for this event you agree to the terms and conditions stated in our privacy policy. If you have any queries please contact: info.farmingandlanduse@soilassociation.org.

The AI4SH Project is a research and innovation project co-funded by the European Union under the EU’s Soil Health Mission for 2030. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This work has received funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10053484, 1005216, 1006329].