D3.3 Report on LCA for activities developed in order to improve soil health in LHs

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides LCA methodology and environmental impact data for soil management interventions, useful for further research on soil carbon and ecosystem services.

🏢実務担当者:Offers science-based recommendations for land managers to optimize soil health practices while minimizing environmental trade-offs.

🏛政策担当者:Highlights the role of LCA in designing soil health policies, supporting EU Soil Strategy and carbon sequestration incentives.

This deliverable is a report on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of activities carried out to create a framework for investment in soil conservation and recovery by developing an economic valuation system for the ecosystem services provided by healthy soil. The InBestSoil project will generate data, evidence, tools, and models to assess how investment in soil health can contribute to the transition toward a long-term resilient and sustainable use of soil through nine case studies: seven Lighthouses (LHs) and two Living Labs (LLs). An LCA will be conducted for each case study using the SIMAPRO® software. The results obtained will highlight the environmental implications of the interventions. Intended audienceThe intended audience and potential readers for this deliverable have been defined considering the final objective of the project. This document is relevant for decision-makers in land-use planning, environmental managers, researchers, land managers, and industry stakeholders seeking to define environmental practices aimed at improving soil health. The project will provide insights for policymakers at local, national, and EU levels, helping to align soil management strategies with climate and biodiversity goals. Additionally, it supports scientists and practitioners in designing and assessing interventions that enhance soil health and ecosystem services. Description of the main activitiesIn this project, the LCA is used to evaluate the environmental impact of various soil management interventions in different cases studies. Each case of study is based on the soil type (agricultural, urban, forestry or industrial) and the biogeographic region in Europe (Boreal, Continental, Atlantic and Mediterranean).LCA serves as a powerful tool for guiding policy interventions toward environmentally sustainable soil management practices. Key policy challenges include minimizing the environmental impact of mineral fertilization and optimizing land-use systems by improving the effectiveness of sustainable management strategies across different soil types and uses. The soil management practices implemented within each InBestSoil case study are analysed using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). These practices include conventional, biodynamic, and regenerative systems; organic farming; conventional and reduced tillage; direct seeding; cover cropping; application of organic amendments; composting; mulching; reforestation; soil remediation techniques; and rotational grazing, among others. Key resultsThe LCA modelling was carried out using SimaPro software, a professional tool for assessing the environmental impacts of products, processes, and activities.The most important results of this deliverable are important findings regarding the environmental performance of soil management practices:• Key soil management practices and impacts: high-impact activities and their environmental effects on soil health are identified.• Environmental benefits of sustainable practices: certain soil management approaches reduce emissions and improve resource efficiency.• LCA informs decision-making: assessment highlights high-impact processes and supports context-specific sustainable interventions. Research and practice implicationsThese findings emphasize the importance of integrating LCA into soil management decision-making to ensure environmentally sustainable practices. The obtained results suggest that soil management strategies should prioritize:• Minimizing trade-offs between soil restoration and energy consumption, optimizing mechanization and input use.• Adapting soil interventions to regional conditions, ensuring their effectiveness across different biogeographic zones. For land managers, these insights provide science-based recommendations to refine best management practices while maximizing soil health benefits. For researchers, the findings support further exploration into soil interactions, biodiversity impacts, and circular economy approaches in soil management. Policy implicationsOne of the main goals of the InBestSoil project is to contribute to the EU Soil Strategy for 2030. InBestSoil is clearly related since promoting public and private investment in soil health, mitigate climate change, reduce pollution and nutrient losses, minimise desertification risk, improve soil biodiversity while generation fair economic returns. Project findings are related with the EU Mission Soil objectives, reinforcing the need for policy frameworks that:• Promote regenerative agriculture and nature-based solutions to enhance carbon sequestration and soil fertility.• Incentivize sustainable land management practices through subsidies, carbon credits, and eco-certification programs.• Integrate LCA in soil health policies, ensuring that environmental impacts are systematically assessed before large-scale implementation. At the EU level, these insights support the European Green Deal and the Soil Strategy for 2030, helping decision-makers craft policies that balance soil health, climate action, and sustainable land use. ConclusionThe LCA of soil interventions assesses the contribution of various soil management practices across different impact categories (global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, terrestrial acidification, freshwater and marine eutrophication, ecotoxicity, fossil resource scarcity, etc.). It examines the potential of these interventions to enhance soil quality while minimizing environmental impact.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20763130first seen 2026-07-10 05:04:59 · last seen 2026-07-10 05:28:39