The Belmont Forum is pleased to announce the awards of a new multilateral and transdisciplinary Collaborative Research Action (CRA) on the theme: Towards Sustainability of Soils and Groundwater for Society. 

The call aims to produce the necessary knowledge and propose solutions to maintain well-functioning soils and groundwater systems in the Critical Zone, or rehabilitate them where degraded, through: 1. Better understanding of the long- and shorter-time dynamics and functions of soils and groundwater, impacts from societal (including economics) decisions, integrative management practices, public policies, and how these systems have been transformed; and 2. Providing avenues, pathways, and narratives toward transformation of management practices of the whole soil and groundwater systems through a fundamental shift of socio-economic actors’ practices and related-decisions making processes.

A total of 9 funders from 8 countries have committed circa 5.4M€ of cash and in-kind resources for the Towards Sustainability of Soils and Groundwater for Society CRA and a total of 17 eligible teams of researchers submitted applications to the call. Following the recommendations of an international panel of experts, the Belmont Forum partners agreed to fund 6 research teams involving 45 researchers from 9 countries. The teams will be conducting research throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia, Arctic and Europe over the next 3 years.

Awarded Projects:

The French National Research Agency (ANR) managed the delivery of this call on behalf of the Belmont Forum partners/member countries (detailed below).