The European Commission has proposed a series of missions that are an integral part of the Horizon Europe framework program starting in 2021.
Each mission is a mandate to meet a pressing challenge in society within a certain time frame and budget.
The proposed missions are the following:
- be bold, inspirational and widely relevant to society
- be clearly framed: targeted, measurable and time-bound
- establish impact-driven but realistic goals
- mobilise resources
- link activities across different disciplines and different types of research and innovation
- drive a systemic change and transform landscapes rather than fix problems in existing ones
- make it easier for citizens to understand the value of investments in research and innovation
And these missions will cover the following areas:
- cancer
- adaptation to climate change, including social transformation
- healthy oceans and seas, coastal and inland waters
- smart and climate neutral cities
- soil and food health
Soil health and food
It is perhaps the most important area related to the CONSOLE project.
Land and soils are essential for all life support processes on our planet. They are the basis of the food we grow, as well as many other products such as feed, textiles or wood.
Soils also provide a variety of ecosystem services that are important for clean water, supporting biodiversity, or for nutrient cycling and climate regulation.
Soils are very dynamic and fragile systems, and they are a finite resource. It can take up to 1,000 years to produce 1 cm of soil.
Soils are facing pressures from an increasing population with requests for land for production, settlements and industries. Soils are also severely affected by climate change, erosion, compaction, and rising sea levels. About 33% of our global soils are degraded and, in the EU, erosion is affecting 25% of agricultural land.
Goals
A mission in the area of food and soil health will provide a powerful tool to raise awareness about the importance of soils, interact with citizens, create knowledge and develop solutions to restore soil health and functions.
This will make it possible to take full advantage of the potential of soils to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The results will have a direct impact on the success of the European Commission’s new Green Deal and its ambition to advance climate, biodiversity and sustainable food.
Additional information
If you require more information about the missions, do not hesitate to consult the website of the European Commission. You only have to click here.
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