Prepsoil is a European project that aims to prepare the ground for the European mission "A soil deal for Europe" (EU Soil Mission).
Prepsoil supports the implementation of the Mission by creating awareness and knowledge on soil needs among stakeholders in regions across Europe. The project widens the understanding of Living Labs as a vehicle for engaging stakeholders in soil improvements in different land use types (agriculture, forestry, urban, etc.) and creates understanding of how different approaches to soil monitoring may support the transition to sustainable land use.

Prepsoil also engages with soil ambassadors and soil advocates, and gather information on soil education by establishing a one-stop-shop for soil literacy, communication, and engagement as a state-of-the-art web platform.

You can read more about Prepsoil on its website: https://prepsoil.eu/

Project duration : 01/07/2022 - 30/06/2025

Soil is an extremely important natural resource. In Slovenia, we do not yet have a specific strategy for soil management, the topic is discussed by agricultural and spatial legislation, as well as the proposal for the Spatial Development Strategy of Slovenia 2050 (June 2023). At the EU level, the Soil Strategy until 2030 was adopted, the main purpose of which is to establish adequate soil monitoring, prevent and limit uncontrolled and dispersed construction, and thus finally implement the principle of zero construction. Some countries, such as Germany, have decided on a policy of limiting construction and preventing the reduction of ground cover.

The European project PREPSOIL, financed by the European Union, addresses this very issue, namely, how to deal with soil in a sustainable and high-quality manner. The leading partner in the project is the Danish University in Aarhus, with 18 other partners involved. The project started in July 2022 and will end in June 2025. Zasavje Regional Development Agency was invited to participate in the project, as the Zasavje region, as one of the European mining regions, was selected as one of the case studies. In the case study, we will present the state of the soil in the region, the activities and factors that have affected the soil in the past, which are still affecting the soil today and will be important for the state of the soil in the future. For this purpose, with the help of external experts from the University of Ljubljana, who know the region and the topic of soil well, we prepared and presented the situation in the field of soil in the Zasava region at the workshop.