TUdi Project Hosts Working Group in Sofia to Discuss Socio-Economic Incentives for Soil Restoration

On 25 March 2025, TUdi’s partner New Bulgarian University hosted a working group on 'Discussions on Socio-Economic Incentives for Soil Restoration' at the Institute of Soil Science, Agrotechnologies & Plant Protection “Nikola Pushkarov", in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

The event brought together 19 participants in total, with the aim of familiarising stakeholders with the TUdi project by sharing practices promoting soil restoration (such as cover crops, limited fertilisation, green manure, and fertilisation management) and conducting a study on the socio-economic aspects of soil conservation and restoration policies. 

The first part of the event focused on presenting TUdi's findings and engaging in discussions about various soil restoration strategies, along with their potential for financial support in Bulgaria. During the second part, the study was conducted; participants were asked questions designed to identify the most important ecosystem services per country - in this case, Bulgaria - as well as to classify key priorities and policies focused on soil preservation and rehabilitation. 

The questionnaire helped identify which human activities contribute to soil degradation most, how global actions for the conservation and restoration of soils and lands can be directed, and which criteria is most important when assessing soil health. 

Reflections that arose during the discussion of the questionnaire will be taken into account and incorporated in TUdi’s policy recommendations for the European Commission.