LandPrint: Mapping The Human Imprint: Drivers, Costs, And Solutions For Soil Health Across Europe

White Research is proud to announce its participation in LandPrint, a project under the Horizon Europe research framework, officially launched in September 2026.

LandPrint addresses the complex interactions between soil health, land management and human decision-making, aiming to better understand how behavioural, socio-economic, cultural, institutional and policy factors influence soil degradation and regeneration.

Combining biophysical evidence with social and behavioural research, participatory approaches and advanced modelling, the project will investigate the drivers of land-use decisions and support the uptake of sustainable soil management practices. Through its case studies and engagement with stakeholders across local, national and European levels, LandPrint will co-develop evidence, tools and policy solutions that support more sustainable and resilient land-management pathways and contribute to the objectives of the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”.

Objectives and Vision:

LandPrint aims to better understand the complex interactions between soil health, land management and human decision-making, and how behavioural, socio-economic, cultural, institutional and policy factors influence soil degradation and regeneration.

What Sets LandPrint Apart:

LandPrint combines biophysical evidence with social and behavioural research, participatory approaches and advanced modelling to investigate the drivers of land-use decisions and support the uptake of sustainable soil management practices.

How It Will Do It:

LandPrint will:

• Explore how human decisions and land-management practices affect soil health across diverse European contexts.
• Combine biophysical, behavioural, socio-economic and governance evidence to understand the drivers of soil degradation and regeneration.
• Engage and co-create with farmers, land managers, policymakers and other stakeholders through case studies and participatory activities.
• Translate evidence into action through modelling, decision-support tools and co-developed policy solutions for sustainable soil management.

White Research’s Role in LandPrint:

White Research leads LandPrint’s stakeholder mapping and engagement framework and the EU Soil Policy Lab, while contributing to the project’s wider science–policy–society interface. WR will coordinate the development of the Stakeholder Atlas and Engagement Protocols, mapping and analysing relevant actors across the project’s case studies and at European level and establishing a common framework for inclusive and effective stakeholder mobilisation. WR will also lead the EU Soil Policy Lab, supporting the co-creation and validation of policy recommendations with relevant stakeholders, and contribute to the Science-Policy-Society Panel. Through these activities, WR will help connect LandPrint’s scientific evidence with stakeholder knowledge and policy needs, strengthening the uptake and longer-term impact of project results.