Nemesis
Soil Health Living Lab Network for Combating Desertification in the Mediterranean
- Description
Healthy soils are the foundation of many of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, across Europe, many soils are under pressure from pollution, erosion, and unsustainable land use, leading to various forms of soil degradation, including desertification. According to the European Commission, more than 25% of soils in the EU are at high or very high risk of desertification, with Mediterranean countries being among the most vulnerable. Desertification undermines food security, intensifies water scarcity, threatens biodiversity, and fuels economic and social instability.
Nemesis aims to significantly contribute to this objective by establishing five Living Labs with 60 currently associated mature experimental sites across the Mediterranean region, while overseeing the co-creation and co-governance of solutions to combat desertification and reverse soil degradation in this diverse and particularly vulnerable ecosystem.
Each of the five interconnected Living Labs tackles a unique challenge for soil health.
- Cyprus: soil-water management,
- France: soil-biodiversity,
- Italy: soil-crop systems,
- Spain: soil-pasture,
- Tunisia & Algeria: cross-border soil management.
The sites will be co-governed by local communities, farmers, policymakers, researchers, NGOs, and industry representatives, and linked to establish an autonomous network that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and maximizes knowledge uptake and outreach.
- Coordinator
- Programme
- Horizon Europe & sub-programmes
- Duration
- 48 months (October 2025 - September 2029)
- Project funding
- € 11,999,402.47
- Project partners
- 37
- Project website
- https://nemesis-soil.eu
