SoilValues

About SoilValues

SoilValues is a 4-year Horizon Europe research project (Grant Agreement 101091308) running from January 2023 to December 2026. A consortium of 14 partners across 9 EU member states is co-developing the conditions, business models, and incentives that make soil-health investment economically viable for European farmers and value-chain actors.

Our mission

70% of EU soils are unhealthy. Soil degradation costs Europe €50 billion per year. Yet land managers — who would have to invest most in restoring soil — generally have little incentive to do so, because they cannot capture the value generated by improved ecosystem services. SoilValues exists to change that, by:

  • Building a science-based assessment framework for soil-health business models
  • Establishing 6 testing grounds across 6 EU countries to test real models
  • Setting up 12 Communities of Practice across 9 EU countries
  • Designing a comprehensive toolbox of incentives — the one you're using now
  • Raising awareness and exchanging knowledge across stakeholders

Consortium

KU LeuvenBE

Project coordinator + WP6 Data Management

WP6
EV ILVOBE

WP2 Lead — testing grounds methodology

WP2
Wageningen ResearchNL

WP1 Lead — assessment framework

WP1
Wageningen UniversityNL

Bioeconomic modelling, ecosystem services

WP1
ELOBE

WP5 Lead — communication & dissemination

WP5
CONSULAIPT

WP3 Lead — Communities of Practice

WP3
Aarhus UniversityDK

D2.3 Lead — TG monitoring & evaluation

WP2
KOIS InvestBE

WP4 Lead — incentives & toolbox

WP4
MR F&A ConsultBE

Project management support

WP6
IRWiR PANPL

Polish testing ground (SOILPROFIT)

WP2WP3
Thünen InstituteDE

D4.2 Lead — Policy Delphi roadmap

WP4
ABERS

Serbian CoP — Regenerative Agriculture Alliance

WP3
INTIAES

Spanish CoP — Carbon farming Navarra

WP3
FOALLT

Lithuanian CoP — Forestry scaling

WP3

How the toolbox was built

1

Research foundation

  • · 87 stakeholder interviews across 6 testing-ground countries
  • · Desk research mapping public + private incentives across the EU
  • · Discussion paper (KOIS, June 2024 — DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13771540)
  • · 2 published policy briefs (August 2025)
2

Co-design with testing grounds

  • · 6 SHBMs built using the SoilValues Business Model Canvas
  • · 12 Communities of Practice across 9 countries
  • · Annual SVBMC refreshes (D2.2 baseline → IP 2025 → IP 2026)
  • · 26 second-round Policy Delphi workshops with CoP members
3

Synthesis & engine

  • · D4.2 Lessons for a roadmap (Thünen, Feb 2026)
  • · 11 strategic incentive types · 29 operational instruments
  • · 8 amplification processes · 6 enabling conditions
  • · Recommendation engine — D4.3, due October 2026

Sister projects under EU Mission Soil

NOVASOIL

Novel business models and economic assessment of soil ecosystem services.

InBestSoil

Investing in soil health by economic incentivisation of land managers.

As fellow projects under the same Horizon Europe Soil Mission call, we collaborate on shared methodology, joint workshops, and aligned policy recommendations. The European Commission may eventually combine our toolboxes into a single resource.

Frequently asked questions

Contact

Coordinator email: info.soilvalues@kuleuven.be

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EU

Funded by the European Union — Horizon Europe Mission Soil.