Ambassadors

Mission Soil Ambassadors are committed advocates working to raise awareness about soil health, improve soil literacy across society, or for environmental sustainability. Coming from diverse backgrounds and selected for their outstanding contributions in areas such as sustainable agriculture and businesses, biodiversity, conservation, and scientific and environmental communication, these Ambassadors promote the importance of soil health at local, regional, national, or European levels.

Ambassadors support the goals of the Mission Soil by fostering collaboration, encouraging action to protect and restore soil, and engaging with communities and networks. Through public outreach, education, and peer-to-peer learning, they connect communities, stakeholders, and initiatives, helping to build a more resilient future for Europe’s soil.

Check their profiles below and learn more about the Mission Soil Platform.

The ambassadors act in their personal capacity and do not represent the European Commission. The views and opinions expressed by the ambassadors are solely their own and do not reflect the official position of the European Commission.

Results: 1 - 10 of 11

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The Ambassadors

Location

Leuven | Belgium

Social Media

Name

Jeroen Watté

Email

jeroen@regenerate4resilience.eu

Bio

Jeroen Watté is an agroecologist and innovation broker with over 20 years of experience supporting and connecting pioneers in regenerative agriculture and science. He likes to connect the dots with a systems view, be it in a documentary exploring how regenerative agriculture can address water challenges, or by organising the soil health conference.

As host of the Dutch podcast 'Pier review brengt de bodem tot leven', Jeroen amplifies the voices of soil regeneration pioneers. He championes practices like agroforestry, regenerative grazing, fungal compost and the system of root intensification to boost agroecosystem resilience. He is passionate to inspire experimentation in the science - policy - farming nexus to step up the performance of food systems. Jeroen was awarded De Bodemschep.

Statement

As a bio-engineer/anthropologist, I'm deeply awed by the power of nature, including ourselves as Homo cooperans. I am committed to bridging the gap between farming pioneers and their peers by working both on the revenue model, so that choosing for soil health makes sense economically, as well as on the horizontal knowledge transfer, imbibing a spirit of collaborative experimentation. Value chain networks where all stakeholders commit to resilience are the key to enable transformative change.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States

Name

Matteo Mazzola

Email

organica.terra@gmail.com

Bio

Matteo Mazzola is an influential agroecologist, educator and farms consultant, co-founder of Iside Farm, the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), and the rapidly growing Italian Microfarmers Agroecological network. As a leader in Italy's regenerative farming movement, he has significantly shaped agroecological agricultural methods in early times educating thousands of people. His educational outreach includes high-profile presentations, documentaries and interviews, advocating for biodiversity and ecosystem restoration, discussing crucial topics like water management, soil rehabilitation and agroforestry. Matteo's work, featured on YouTube and podcasts platforms, promotes food sovereignty and regenerative practices aimed at sustaining local ecosystems and communities.

Statement

Soil is our present, past and future. As a dedicated regenerative farmer and educator, I enhance soil health with diverse, climate-resilient and ecological practices. I raise awareness through workshops and farm tours, promoting Agroecology online and in person. My next step is establishing a school on our farm to teach regenerative techniques and deepen our community's connection with the land, from farmers to consumers reaching the widest targets, because we all walk on the same ground.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
5. Prevent erosion
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops

Name

Anne van Leeuwen

Email

anne@gagel.nl

Bio

Anne van Leeuwen worked on a museum about the relationship between humans and the rest of life at Artis Royal zoo and co-founded the Embassy of the North Sea in Amsterdam. In 2019, she started Bodemzicht farm and foundation with her partner Ricardo Cano Mateo in Malden. In March 2024 she moved to the 45 hectare Lenteland regenerative community farm 't Gagel in Lochem. She is in close contact with the regenerative movement in the Netherlands and a founding farmer of the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA).

Statement

I grew up with a lot of love for life. When I started farming I came to understand that the soil is the fundament of all of life and when we take care of ours soils, we are actually taking care of ourselves. Soil health and diversity is key for a resilient ecology, economy and society. At Gagel farm we work on growing healthy soil and nutritious food for our communities, and we teach and collaborate with many organisations to facilitate the transition to a regenerative (agri)culture.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States

Location

Radovljica Municipality | Slovenia

Social Media

Name

Tilen Praprotnik

Bio

After decades of amateur research into permaculture and regenerative agriculture, Tilen Praprotnik transitioned his professional career in archaeology to a new commercial pursuit of organic farming. Since its establishment in 2016, his farm has been one of the pioneers of regenerative agriculture and practical agroecology in Slovenia. The farm is a showcase of a vital and resilient farming environment. Its diverse farming operations are based on organic matter-rich and biologically active soils, while equally taking into account other ecological, economic and social aspects. Through on-farm education and involvement in various organizations and projects, Tilen Praprotnik has spread awareness that there is no civilization without agriculture and there is no agriculture without soil.

Statement

A shift in view from a techno-chemical centered approach to a holistic biological-ecosystem approach is vital. Only in this way can we observe and manage our soils within the broader ecosystem.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops

Name

Irena Ateljevic

Email

irena@terrameera.com

Bio

Irena Ateljevic is the founder of Terra Meera, a Center for Regeneration in Croatia’s Šibenik-Knin County. With a PhD from New Zealand and teaching roles at universities worldwide, including the top sustainability-focused Wageningen University, Irena is a distinguished scholar, social entrepreneur, and senior policy advisor. A regular keynote speaker at international conferences, she amplifies her voice on global environmental challenges. As the founder of Regenerate Europe, an annual conference organized with Aspira University College in Split, she drives cross-sectoral regeneration. Her recent project, Ajmo Lokalno (Let's Go Local), developed with Šibenik-Knin County, promotes soil literacy and short food supply chains by connecting local farmers, businesses, and consumers.

Statement

Based in Croatia’s Šibenik-Knin County, a region shaped by the aftermath of the Croatian civil war and the rise of mass tourism reliant on imported industrial foods, I am committed to restoring abandoned lands and conserving organic soil carbon stocks. Through all my projects, I aim to improve soil literacy, raise awareness, and connect local farmers, businesses, and consumers to foster sustainable practices, grow regenerative farms, protect soil health, and inspire soil restoration efforts.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States

Name

Béla Jankovich de Jeszenice

Bio

As an experienced entrepreneur, board member and investor, I am passionate to create healthy landscapes and resilient ecosystems to help fight climate change and biodiversity loss. Soil health is central in that endeavor. I believe this can be done successfully with a holistic approach, together with stakeholders, a long term view and a sound business case at its base.
I feel equally at home with the local operators on the farms I am leading as in the board rooms of international for-profit and non profit organisations. My learnings from farm level operations and local communities, to large scale landscape restoration, including deep knowledge of applied technology that enables these processes, benefit both.

Statement

As a farmer with a multi generational view, there is no doubt there is only a future for us with a healthy soil at its base. Witnessing first hand the negative impacts of conventional farm practices on soil health, we have changed to regenerative farming practices on our farm several years ago, the impact is noticeable! We will continue to implement practices aiming to improve the soil and the ecosystem, and share results with the wider community.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
5. Prevent erosion
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops

Name

Sheila Darmos

Bio

Sheila Darmos is a third generation farmer and a social entrepreneur in the agri-food sector and civic engagement field in Greece.
Her key focuses lie within her lived physical and social environment, namely the farming and rural communities, and thus a systemic approach to enable transitions towards regeneration in a holistic way.
Her dedication to soil and thus ecosystem restoration translates into her key aims of transforming the farming sector in Greece through her initiative “Regenerative Farming Greece”, and is evident also in her own farming operation on “The Southern Lights” farm, in the community projects she runs through her non-profit organisation “The Southern Lights”, in trainings and public speeches in Greece and Europe through her active involvement in EARA.

Statement

Soil is the foundation of thriving livelihoods, while mirroring at the same time the health of our communities. I consider access to soil and the ability to regenerate it to be essential part of our human experience and intertwined with our own well-being, and thus our human and non-human communities well-being.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

1. Reduce land degradation relating to desertification
5. Prevent erosion
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops

Location

Romania | Tara Calatei-Kalotaszeg region, Sancraiu commune, Cluj county.

Social Media

Name

Miklos Attila Szocs-Boruss

Email

attila@alpa.land

Bio

Attila holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering in Agriculture and is dedicated to the socially and environmentally equitable use of farmland. With extensive expertise in national and European land and rural development policies, he has coordinated multiple reports and policy analyses on farmland management, agroecology, and rural development. Attila is a co-founder and board member of ALPA (Access to Land for Agroecology), where he advocates for the implementation of agroecology at both territorial and farm levels. He is also steering group member of the Access to Land Europe Network where he involves into advocacy and knowledge-exchange activities around the issue if land and agroecology.

Statement

Soil is the foundation of life and a keystone in sustaining biodiversity, environmental and cultural regeneration and climate resilience. In my work with ALPA, I strive to secure farmland for agroecological practices that protect and enrich soil health, ensuring it remains a viable resource for future generations. We collaborate with farmers to adopt soil-friendly practices, raise public awareness, and advocate for policies that recognize soil as a vital ecosystem.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States

Location

Luxembourg

Name

Karine Paris

Email

karine@cell.lu

Bio

Karine has been working in the field of agro-ecology and permaculture for over 10 years, supporting the Luxembourg community gardens. In recent years, she has taken a particular interest in soil health. After following Elaine Ingham's course (Soil Food Web), she intends to pursue her mission and contribute to the transition from current agricultural practices to regenerative practices.

Statement

"Connection to the living implies awareness of the existence of the invisible."
Elaine Ingham's course introduced me to this world. Since then, I've had a radical vision of the mistreatment of soils, industrial chemicals and pollutants, which goes hand in hand with the mistreatment of all living things.

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States

Location

Spain | La junquera, Caravaca de la Cruz, Múrcia

Social Media

Name

Yanniek Schoonhoven

Email

Yanniek@regeneration-academy.org

Bio

At the forefront of the regenerative agriculture movement, my work at La Junquera Farm and the Regeneration Academy centers on regeneration and rural development. With over seven years of hands-on farming experience and leadership in regenerative practices, I have helped transform La Junquera into a model for environmental stewardship and agricultural education. Our efforts have revitalized degraded land, showcasing the real-world benefits of regenerative agriculture.

Statement

As a farmer and educator I believe soil health is at the base of our health and ecosystem resilience. By improving soil health on our farm and our whole watershed I hope to contribute to a more sustainable future

Specific Mission Soil Objectives

1. Reduce land degradation relating to desertification
5. Prevent erosion
6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops