ILU/LVGA-Soil-Workshop

The preservation and protection of healthy soils is more important than ever today. This urgency is becoming increasingly evident at the European Union level. As part of the "EU Missions - A Soil Deal for Europe" initiative, the EU is funding a variety of projects focused on soil health and protection, management options, and digitalization. In preparation for a workshop on this topic scheduled for Fall 2024 in Potsdam ("Leveraging Synergies – Implementing the Soil Mission"), the Soil Seminar, organized by the Institute for Food and Environmental Research (ILU) and the Teaching and Research Institute for Horticulture and Arboriculture e.V. (LVGA), took place on May 22, 2024, in Großbeeren, Brandenburg.

The event brought together around 50 representatives from science, practice, politics, and associations. The goal was to foster exchange and initiate first project plans at the regional level to collaboratively develop solutions for the preservation and protection of soil.

In the morning, the importance of the topic and the significance of sustainable measures within the EU initiative were highlighted. Dr. Kathrin Grahmann from the Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) presented practical applications of digital technologies in agriculture in both national and international contexts. In the afternoon, the SoilRob team laid the foundation for a discussion on digitalization and field robotics in agriculture during a workshop. Participants included representatives from state ministries (Ministry of Finance and Europe of Brandenburg (MFE) and Ministry for Agriculture, Environment, and Climate Protection (MLUK)), research institutions (Institute for Agricultural and Urban Ecological Projects at Humboldt University Berlin (IASP) and Research Institute for Mining Aftercare Landscapes e.V. (FIB)), universities (Humboldt University Berlin), and agriculture (Agrargenossenschaft Trebbin).