The richest knowledge base for the sustainable management of soils is at the level of practitioners. The local conditions decide over which variation of a generally accepted method can be successful. Many important ecosystems services of soils can only be detected once the damage is in place (loss of filtering function leads to eutrophication and acidification; reduction of storage function for water impacts the magnitude of run off and, consequently, floods).

For that reason, applied soil research must utilize, accompany and support the existing empirical knowledge base, with soil monitoring providing planning relevant locally valid and reliable data. In order to enable such a process, all stakeholders requiring soil services need to be in a dialogue and agreement of best practice principles.

Many information sources, such as the European Innovation Partnership for agricultural and sustainability (EIP-AGRI), or EU Research Projects such as the EJP SOIL, already exist and can serve as an orientation. Living labs and lighthouses will soon enrich this knowledge base, and innovation and data availability will further evolve practical tools such as the Landmark project’s soil navigator.

The EIP-AGRI, launched by the European Commission, serves as a platform for innovation and knowledge exchange for agriculture, forestry and rural areas. With the help of Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) knowledge and innovation flows across Europe are strengthened and solutions towards the sustainable management of soils are being developed.

The European Joint Program EJP Soil (2020-2025) is working on addressing the climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soil, strengthening research and knowledge-sharing as well as awareness raising (see here and there).

In the following chart you find Instruments and Guidelines on the level of Countries, EU, Europe and Subregions that can lead to a regional Guideline for SSM.