Soil degradation covers more than half of Europe's soil, which is further degraded by erosion. Due to climate change, this situation is likely to worsen. The loss of soil quality costs about €50 billion per year, researchers noted.

MRU Environmental LAB Head Prof. Paulo Pereira says MRU is one of 18 participants of the "InBestSoil" project which Spain's Universidad de Vigo coordinates. 

"It is a great honour to be included in this project with researchers from Italy, Spain, Croatia, the Netherlands, Latvia, and Romania," said Prof. Pereira.

"We will have a Lighthouse (case study) in Vilnius (Baltupiai) focused on urban agriculture. We want to assess if their agricultural practices are sustainable and increase soil value. This is essential for urban agriculture sustainability," said Prof. Pereira.

The project will conclude on Dec. 31st, 2026.