Healthy Soil Challenges and the Influence of EU Policies: Examining the Italian Case

The concept of “healthy soil” is particularly debated in public and academic discussions. The European Union (EU) has recently included the Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” as the core of the European Green Deal. In this context, this research article will analyze: first, the main objectives related to the EU Soil Mission (i.e. desertification, organic carbon stocks, soil sealing and re-use, pollution, erosion, biodiversity, global footprint, literacy in society); second, the various strategies proposed, both at the policy level (e.g. Soil Health Law in 2023) and at the practical level (e.g. the establishment of 100 Living Labs and lighthouses); third, the main challenges at stake, with particular reference to Italy and the national debates on soil issues. To do so, and from a methodological point of view, the analysis is based on (i) a narrative analysis, based on the talks of selected key actors invited to the Italian event of the EU Soil Mission; (ii) a gap analysis matrix, based on the data collected from the participants to the national event. Reflecting on the “quadruple helix model”, this research article depicts how academia, industry, civil society and governments play a role in the EU Soil Mission. The overall impression is that much of sustainable food production and agriculture, biodiversity and climate resilience, carbon sequestration, water purification, technological innovation, local livability and societal prosperity will depend on our idea of, and means to achieve, “healthy soils”.