The key to a resilient future for nature, farmers and Europe's food system
89% of agricultural soils in the EU are affected by one or more soil degradation processes - this is where EDEN puts its focus.
89%
of EU agricultural soils affected
Affected by one or more soil degradation processes. This is where EDEN puts its focus.
61%
of all EU soils degraded or unhealthy
Covers many different types of soil, only part of it being agricultural land.
EUR 41-73B
estimated annual cost
Across all ecosystem types. Agriculture represents part of it, through loss of fertile topsoil, reduced water flow and fertiliser costs.
EUR 1.4-4.1K
per hectare unfunded after incentives
70-80% of the upfront need remains unfunded.
2-6%
of Europe's arable transition need is covered
The remainder of the transition has no financing route today.
Drought, floods, chemical-input dependency, harmful subsidies and global price pressure are eroding farm resilience. Without a mechanism to finance soil restoration and long-term care, organic food will no longer be viable in 10 years. EDEN applies 11 principles drawn from decades of work with hundreds of farms across Europe. By acting on farms, value chains and finance at the same time, EDEN is designed to succeed where isolated, single-level lighthouse interventions have not.
Profitable + Nature Positive
Connected + Resilient
Investable + Replicable
100s of farms across Europe
The 11 principles of holistic agriculture, grouped into five families of practice.
Soil Melioration
Reduced Compaction
Composting & Fertility
Local Processing
Ruminant Management
Grazing Systems
Landscape Restoration
Water Landscaping
Perennial Land Cover
Grassland Diversity
Regenerative Energy
6
farms already in conservation
30+
farmers and farm workers involved
EUR 5M
blended capital to be mobilized per farm
Lessons from Italy will be transferred to ecologically and economically different regions. Local structures and selection criteria will be refined as the model develops.
Potential next pilots
Co-founder
Thirty years restoring farms and agricultural landscapes across Europe, including work with HM King Charles. His 11 principles are grounded in work with hundreds of farms. At Village Juchowo in Poland, he led the restoration of 2,000 ha of degraded land into a productive, resilient, steward-owned organic farm with a multiple increase in value.
Co-founder
Eighteen years structuring finance for environmental and social change. Her 2010 blended-finance clean-energy fund brought USD 100M across 18 African countries; the model was later replicated globally. At the Global Impact Tech Alliance she developed community and standards for impact VCs.
The EU Soil Observatory reports 61% confirmed degradation and notes that this understates the real level because some threats lack data. 53% loss of soil organic carbon, 37% loss of soil biodiversity, 30% peatland degradation risk.
In the DOK trial, 0.7 livestock units of farmyard manure per hectare did not increase soil organic carbon in any system. At 1.4 LU/ha, carbon stabilized or increased across all systems, most strongly in biodynamic farming. Global modelling found organic expansion without cover crops and residue recycling could reduce carbon inputs by 40% and soil carbon stock by 9%.
Deloitte et al. modelled 34 country-crop combinations across 12 crops and 10 European countries. Upfront needs are EUR 2,000-5,000/ha. Incentives shorten payback from about 9 to 5 years, yet EUR 1,400-4,100/ha remains unfunded and only 2-6% of the transition to regenerative agriculture is covered. Estimated EU soil-degradation costs: EUR 40.9-72.7B annually.
EDEN works with farms, funders, researchers and value-chain actors across Europe.
Foundation
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Research institute
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Investor
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Farm network
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Processor
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Retailer
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Visit websiteIf you finance, farm, process or research, there is a place for you in this work.
eden@terramail.co