EU-backed InBestSoil project builds financial case for soil restoration across nine countries

European researchers are seeking to reposition soil restoration from an environmental compliance issue into a measurable long-term investment for farmers and landowners through the EU-funded InBestSoil project, which is operating across nine experimental sites in Europe through December 2026.

The initiative, coordinated by Andrés Rodríguez Seijo of the University of Vigo in Spain, brings together researchers from multiple European institutions to quantify the financial returns associated with restoring degraded agricultural soils. The project is developing decision-support tools designed to help farmers, agronomists and policymakers evaluate how soil restoration practices can reduce production costs, improve yields and lower operational risks over time.

More than half of Europe’s soils are considered degraded, according to European Commission assessments, with compaction, erosion, salinization and declining organic matter among the main causes. While the environmental impacts of soil degradation are well documented, researchers involved in InBestSoil say the economic implications — including the timeline for financial payback from restoration efforts — have received less attention.

At the project’s Spanish site, researchers are studying how reintroducing grazing animals into Dehesa landscapes can regenerate soils depleted by decades of conventional arable farming. In Sardinia, trials are examining the effects of biological amendments and reduced tillage on soil carbon accumulation and nutrient cycling. Other experimental sites focus on northern European arable systems, vineyards and peri-urban agricultural land.

The project’s decision-support tools are intended to provide estimates for cost savings, projected yield improvements and risk-adjusted returns over a 10- to 20-year period. Researchers say the aim is to provide land managers with financial metrics that support investment decisions around soil restoration practices.

The findings could also carry implications for the fertilizer industry. Researchers note that soils with higher organic matter and stronger biological activity typically require lower synthetic nitrogen inputs because improved microbial activity increases nutrient availability near plant roots. Improved soil structure can also enhance phosphate-use efficiency, potentially reducing fertilizer application requirements.

The InBestSoil project’s final results are expected before the end of 2026 and may contribute to ongoing European Union discussions surrounding future soil health legislation in Brussels.

Source: Phys.org