Imagine the soil you walk on. The one that provides our daily food, stores carbon, and is home to a teeming world of life we rarely see. Soil is crucial for our climate, our nature, and our future, but it is far too often overlooked.

Today, more than 60 percent of Europe’s soils are in poor condition. It is a silent crisis beneath our feet. Without healthy soil, we cannot secure food for future generations, we cannot halt climate change, and we risk losing the very foundation on which biodiversity and clean drinking water depend.

That is why Europe will gather in Aarhus in November 2025, when Aarhus University hosts the European Mission Soil Week 2025. Two days where politicians, researchers, farmers, businesses, investors, and citizens will focus on soil health and on how we can move from words to action.

From soil to policy

Healthy soil is no longer just a concern for researchers and farmers. It has become a political priority.

The EU has launched the Soil Deal for Europe mission, the upcoming Soil Monitoring Law, and a broader vision for sustainable food production. All of these initiatives are built on the recognition that soil is the key to achieving climate goals, biodiversity protection, and sustainable agriculture.

In Denmark, we have taken a step that has attracted attention across Europe: the Green Tripartite Agreement. A historic accord where agriculture, environmental organisations, trade unions, industry, and municipalities have come together to create a framework for reducing agriculture’s climate and environmental footprint, while maintaining food production.

The government has followed up by establishing a new Ministry of Green Transition, which coordinates efforts through regional tripartite organisations. Here, concrete plans for multifunctional land use are developed: preserving organic soils, ensuring clean water, protecting biodiversity, and keeping agriculture productive.

This Danish model will be a central theme during Mission Soil Week.

From division to dialogue

How can Denmark’s experience inspire the rest of Europe? Can we build a shared understanding of soil health as a framework that unites rather than divides stakeholders across countries and sectors?

This question will take center stage at the high-level conference on November 6. Here, Minister for the Green Tripartite Agreement Jeppe Bruus, alongside representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Joint Research Centre, universities, and Mission Soil Living Labs, will meet for keynotes and debate.

The theme is as simple as it is challenging:
How can we move from division to dialogue about Europe’s soils? 

Would you like to join on November 6, please register here

New ideas, new alliances

Mission Soil Week is not only about politics and grand visions. It is also a place where new business models and investments in soil health will be presented, where practical experiences from across Europe are shared, and where researchers and practitioners showcase solutions that already work.

At Aarhus University, you can experience:

• Inspiring presentations from politicians, researchers, and practitioners

• New proposals for how investments in soil health can be made possible

• Examples from across Europe such as multifunctional landscapes in Denmark that unite climate action, biodiversity, and sustainable farming

• Workshops, exhibitions, and networking opportunities where people come together around the same cause

The future of soil is our shared responsibility

Mission Soil Week in Aarhus is a rare opportunity to experience a major European conference in Denmark. More importantly, it is a chance to be part of the movement working for a healthy future for our soils.

Practical Information

When: 5–6 November 2025
Where: Aarhus University
How: Join physically in Aarhus—or follow online via livestream

Read more and register here: European Mission Soil Week 2025