Taking care of our soil: a priority for our future

CELL /

6 min reading

Respect for life

February 28, 2025

"I am the soil. I am on the hills and in the valleys, in the farms and orchards. Without me, humanity could not exist. But you treat me like dust. Do you know that I'm just a thin film on this planet? That I'm alive, full of organisms that nourish the Earth? Yet you've exhausted me, broken me, made me sick... Do you even care about me? I'm turning to dust. Perhaps you could treat me with a little more respect... After all, you still want to eat, don't you? "

These words, taken from the short film " Nature is Speaking - Soil" narrated by Edward Norton, remind us of an often overlooked truth: soils are dying. Artificialized, eroded and polluted, they suffer in silence, even though they are essential to our survival. Yet we continue to exploit them without taking care of them. This alarming fact prompted Europe to react with the " Mission Soil "an initiative dedicated to soil protection and regeneration.

Karine Paris becomes Mission Soil ambassador for Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, this mission takes on a special resonance this year with the appointment of Karine Paris, coordinator of the transition to living systems at CELL, asofficial ambassador of Mission Soil. His long-standing commitment to biodiversity and the living world makes him a key figure in this cause.

Why are soils so essential?

Soil is much more than just the support beneath our feet. It is an ecosystem in its own right, a vibrant underground world where billions of organisms of all sizes transform organic matter and nourish plants. Soil is the most biodiverse part of any terrestrial ecosystem. What lives on the surface represents only a tiny fraction of what goes on beneath our feet. As the David Porcosoil biologist at the Centre scientifique du MNHN (National Museum of Natural History) A single pinch of soil can contain thousands of microalgae, fungi, protozoa (single-celled animals) and over a billion bacteria".

Karine Paris underlines this with a striking image: "There are more individuals in a spoonful of soil than there are humans on the entire planet."

Healthy soil is essential to our diet, but also to climate regulation and the water cycle. It absorbs rainwater, recharges groundwater, filters pollutants and stores carbon. However, human activities have weakened it to a critical point. Today, more than half of Europe's soils are in poor condition. And the trend is not reversing.

Soils take a long time to regenerate. Yet we damage them by ploughing, by chemicals that destroy their living parts, by erosion... much faster than they can come back to life. By neglecting the soil, we jeopardize the balance of all living things. That's why it's essential to rethink the way we use them, to ensure their long-term preservation.

Mission Soil an initiative to restore life beneath our feet

In response to this emergency, the European Union has launched the Mission Soilan ambitious program funded by Horizon Europe. Its main objective is to protect and restore soils through a global approach combining scientific research, local action and public awareness. From here 2030the mission plans to create 100 Living Labs and LighthousesThese are experimental areas for developing innovative soil management solutions.

This program is not limited to experts and scientists. It aims to mobilize the whole of society, from farmers and citizens to political decision-makers. Visit manifest of the Mission Soillaunched in April 2023, invites everyone to take part in this collective mobilization for healthy, living soils.

Graphic recording summaries

https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/news-events/european-mission-soil-week-2023

https://mission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu/news-events/european-mission-soil-week-2024

A strong commitment from Luxembourg with Karine Paris and CELL

In Luxembourg, the appointment of Karine Paris as an ambassador Mission Soil marks an important milestone. Geographer by trainingshe coordinates the dietary transition and is behind the development of community gardens in the country. Known for her commitment to more sustainable food systems, she is a key figure in Luxembourg's transition movement.

Since 2017, it has been supporting urban gardening through the Urban Gardening, which supports amateur gardeners through training courses and dedicated events.

Its action does not stoputside the gardens: she has alsowas a member of the founding team of MESAone-thirda place dedicated to local, organic farming and seasonal products, supporting these values through son restaurant and local grocery store. Today, with the eisegaart.lushe poursuit son engagement en mettant en lumière des pratiques comme la permaculture andagroecologywhile raising awareness of the grand public to the importance of soil. Formed et tested in governance partagée and soil protectionShe is particularly involved in their regeneration through collective action.

With this new mission, she will carry the voice of soil through various initiatives: training, events, but also reflection on how we can integrate soil health into public policies and agricultural practices. She also intends to raise the profile of local projects linked to soil health. Mission Soil,

What can we do to keep our soil alive?

Commitment to soil health isn't just for experts and farmers. Everyone can play a part, whether by adopting respectful practices in the garden, supporting local initiatives or signing the Mission Soil Manifesto.

Throughout the year, CELL will be offering events and training courses to raise public awareness of these issues. Visit World Soil Dayon December 5, 2025, will be a key moment for mobilizing people around this essential theme.

We have the power to breathe new life into our soils because, as this whisper buried beneath our feet reminds us, we must be aware that we live in an interconnected system o where our survival depends on each other.