© William/Adobe Stock HFFA Research GmbH contributes to EUROSION by analysing the costs and benefits of soil erosion management practices across Europe.
EUROSION is funded under Horizon Europe and directly supports the objectives of the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”, which aims to protect soil health, halt degradation, and support sustainable land use by 2030.
While policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) increasingly address soil protection, decision‑makers still face major knowledge gaps. Erosion rates are difficult to measure consistently across regions, the effectiveness of management practices varies widely depending on local conditions, and the economic implications for farmers are often insufficiently understood. As a result, practice uptake remains uneven, even where environmental benefits are clear.
With more than 25 partners from many different countries including universities, research institutions, and companies EUROSION responds to this challenge by building a pan‑European soil erosion monitoring and modelling framework that links biophysical information with land management practices and policies.
Within Work Package 5, HFFA Research GmbH is responsible for the socio‑economic assessment of soil erosion management practices, with a strong focus on cost‑benefit analysis.
Our work complements EUROSION’s monitoring and modelling activities by answering a central Horizon Europe question: Which practices work, and under which economic conditions are they adopted? We assess up to 25 erosion‑reducing practices by comparing their costs such as investments, labour, and maintenance with their economic benefits over time. Using indicators like net present value (NPV), benefit‑cost ratios, and internal rates of return, combined with farm‑level accounting, we evaluate both short‑term affordability and long‑term payoffs.
This analysis helps translate scientific evidence into information that is directly relevant for farmers, advisors, and policymakers designing incentives under instruments such as the CAP and future soil protection frameworks.
The project has just recently been kicked off, which is why no results were generated yet. However, by integrating cost‑benefit analysis into erosion research, our team helps ensure that soil protection measures promoted under EU policies are not only environmentally effective, but also economically realistic.
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