TRAILS4SOIL

Rebuilding soil health through regenerative and conservation agriculture

Our project

The increasingly unhealthy state of soils in Europe threatens food production, diminishes biodiversity, and accelerates climate change. Currently, over 60% of European soil has been degraded by unsustainable land management, including methods of intensive farming.

TRAILS4SOIL is a 5-year EU-funded research project (2025-2030). It investigates how Regenerative and Conservation Agriculture Practices could restore soil health and support the long-term productivity, environmental sustainability, and economic viability of farms.

More About Our Project

5 Living Labs across Europe

TRAILS4SOIL takes a Living Labs approach to its research.

Our experiments take place on working farms and in close collaboration with farmers. Together, we are developing, testing, and refining innovations that address local farming and environmental challenges.

Each of our 5 Living Labs addresses a specific issue:

Permanent Crops

Sustainable permanent cropping systems under Mediterranean climate conditions.

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Organic Farming

Regenerative agriculture approaches towards organic farming systems.

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Adaptation to Climate Change

Improving soil health for climate change.

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Black Soil

Innovative solutions for black soil conservation.

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Crop-livestock Integration

Conservation Agriculture with crop-livestock integration to enhance soil health.

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OUR GOAL

Resilient, sustainable, and climate-smart farming

TRAILS4SOIL’s primary goal is to drive the transformation of European agriculture towards greater resilience and sustainability and as climate change weighs more heavily on farmers.

It will achieve this by demonstrating the potential of Regenerative & Conservation Agricultural practices to support 6 soil health objectives defined by the EU Soil Mission:

Reduce land degradation relating to desertification
Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
Prevent erosion
Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
Increase soil literacy in society across EU Member States

Latest news

Regenerative and conservation agriculture: what really works? TRAILS4SOIL is here to find out!

TRAILS4SOIL, which includes researchers and farmers across Europe, is a €11.7 million project to discover how regenerative and conservation agriculture could help reverse the degradation of soils and secure the long-term sustainability of European farming. Over the...