In the sun-baked fields of North Africa and the rolling farmlands of southern Europe, the seeds of change are being sown. Across the Mediterranean, IUCN Med and its partners are charting a transformation pathway for agriculture, one that connects resilient landscapes that support biodiversity conservation with healthy food, aligns policies and governance with sustainability, and builds the knowledge and skills needed to make change last.
Across the region, IUCN is working to change the way we treat soil, that thin, living layer that feeds our crops, regulates water, and locks away carbon. In recent years, five flagship initiatives – SOILGUARD, NBSoil, NATAE, ResAlliance and Curiosoil – have converged on a shared mission: to protect and restore the foundation of agriculture, while reconnecting farmers, scientists, and communities to the land they depend on.
Turning science into action
The work begins with knowledge. Through SOILGUARD and NBSoil, IUCN Med has assessed 19 agricultural and land management interventions across Europe and the Mediterranean, applying the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions. These projects are generating concrete evidence of how healthy soils support biodiversity, buffer against climate shocks, and sustain farm productivity. In both projects, IUCN Med has also contributed to developing science-based recommendations on policy and biodiversity conservation.
NBSoil has gone a step further, co-creating a training pathway for soil advisors, with online courses to field-based activities, preparing a new generation of practitioners who can diagnose soil health and advise on sustainable practices.
Agroecology takes root in North Africa
In the NATAE project, IUCN Med is trying to become a bridge between policy, monitoring, networking and the plough. The team also introduced its Land Health Monitoring Framework to universities working with “Living Labs” in North Africa, laying the groundwork for collaborative research and practice. NATAE has also established MEDAE, a regional network championing agroecology.
On the ground, pilot sites are now being monitored to track the “functional species” that keep agroecosystems healthy, from pollinators to soil organisms, offering a baseline for future action.
Change in the enabling environment: people at the centre
The Curiosoil project takes a different approach: instead of targeting only experts and farmers, it speaks to students and teachers and targets the educational system of 16 countries. Its aim is to spark curiosity about soil, embedding its importance in schools, community programmes, and public discourse. By helping people see soil not as dirt but as a living, vital ecosystem, Curiosoil hopes to shift cultural attitudes towards stewardship.
And through the ResAlliance network (called ‘LandNet’), IUCN Med is sharing knowledge on how farmers and foresters can build resilience to climate change, creating a platform where Mediterranean land managers can exchange solutions, from water-saving techniques to fire-resistant crop systems. The team have also significantly contributed to creating a MOOC that analyses the main climate change-related challenges faced by farmers and foresters.
Urban food systems are part of the picture too. An IUCN Med study of 17 Mediterranean cities has examined how biodiversity conservation is integrated into agri-food policies, highlighting opportunities to strengthen the link between city food consumption and sustainable production in rural landscapes.
A regional movement for healthy land
“These initiatives may differ in scope and approach, but together they are steering Mediterranean agriculture towards a future where biodiversity thrives in farmed landscapes, farmers are empowered as stewards of the land, and policies work with and not against nature”, commented Mercedes Muñoz, coordinator of Nature Conservation and Food Systems programme at IUCN Med.
In a region where droughts are lengthening, populations are growing, and fertile land is under constant pressure, the stakes could not be higher. “Healthy soil is not just the farmer’s business,” says Mercedes Muñoz. “It’s everyone’s business. Because without it, there is no food, no water security, and no resilience.”
More information:
Soilguard policy brochure For the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive
NBSOIL Policy navigator
Analysing NBS categories through the IUCN Global Standard for NBS on soil health – initial version
MEDAE A multi-actor network on agroecology in the Mediterranean
LandNet – ResAlliance
* This article has been prepared to showcase the actions led by IUCN Med and its partners in the Mediterranean, in the context of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, highlighting how the region’s experience can contribute to global conservation debates and solutions.
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