Mission Soil Ambassadors are dedicated advocates for soil health, selected for their outstanding contributions in areas such as sustainable agriculture and business, biodiversity, soil conservation, and scientific and environmental communication. They help raise awareness about soil health, improve soil literacy across society, and promote environmental sustainability – primarily at local level. Coming from diverse backgrounds, 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 stakeholders, initiatives, and communities, helping to build a more resilient future for Europe’s soil. The Mission Soil Ambassadors network aims to include one representative from each European Union Member State and each Horizon Europe Associated Country.
Check their profiles below and learn more about the Mission Soil. Stay up to date with the latest news from the Ambassadors.
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.
The Ambassadors
Alfred Grand is an organic, regenerative farmer and entrepreneur from Austria. At his company VERMIGRAND, earthworms are producing organic fertilizer and peat free soil substrates. In 2018 his farm was developed into a research and demonstration farm. GRAND FARM is focusing on soil health, agroforestry and market gardening. GRAND GARTEN is the first Regenerative Organic Certified market garden all over Europe. Alfred is part of a range of national and international research projects, member of the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms, member of four different EIP-Agri focus groups and member of the first mission board for the EU-Mission Soil Deal. He is not only appointed as an ambassador for the EU-mission soil, but was also honored with the ERDREICH award by the Austrian climate ministry.
I consider myself „Trained by earthworms“ because I learned and raised my awareness on soil health, when I worked on our vermicomposting project. At that time, we also started cooperating with the scientific community in Austria and later on all over Europe. I realized how important healthy soils are for the wellbeing of our society and how much soil-health can contribute to help reaching the sustainable development goals (SDGs). On our farm, WE GROW FOOD, SOIL AND PEOPLE :-) !!
- 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
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.
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.
- 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
Galina Peycheva-Miteva is a Bulgarian landowner and land manager. She has been managing the family farm since 2007 and has introduced minimal tillage, extensive crop rotation and bio-regenerative practices on the estate. The farm grows perennials, including roses and lavender, and manages a 62-hectare vineyard. In addition, the farm portfolio includes milk thistle, alfalfa, sunflower, peas, oil-seed rape, wheat and barley organised in a crop rotation which maximises soil health and resources. In 2021 the estate built a distillery in order to process the essential oils from the flowers and ensure maximum quality control of the essences. Galina Peycheva-Miteva is the proud recipient of the Soil Award for 2017. She lives in Plovdiv, Bulgaria with her husband and her two sons.
As farmers we are temporary custodians of the land whose duty is to preserve it for the future generations. I am convinced that soil health is the basis for farm productivity. My mission as a farmer is to constantly test, develop and improve the different sets of measures and practices that will help us preserve, maintain and hopefully improve the health of our soul.
- 4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
- 5. Prevent erosion
- 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
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.
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.
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States
Demetris Taliotis is the Chief Olive Oil Obsessive at Aparthenasa, an agrocraft estate focusing on the production of terroir-driven extra virgin olive oil from Cyprus. He is a graduate of the prestigious Expert Course in Virgin Olive Oil Tasting of the University of Jaén and a member of O.N.A.O.O. His varied involvement with land stewardship spans a multifarious career in agri-food and FMCG marketing, location and countryside management, and expansive research interests at the cross-sections of transversal agriculture, disruptive innovation, organoleptic variability and the cultural and creative industries. Demetris has led and consulted numerous regenerative ventures and is also a partner to various agroecological projects.
The profound importance of soil for me as a farmer and land manager can not be overstated. A primary and irreplaceable asset - and also an invaluable collaborator - soil is intertwined with both the way I produce olive oil and the product itself. This synergistic and reverberating nature of healthy soil is one that I am committed on highlighting with my involvement in research projects and by actively sharing the knowledge generated everyday across my groves, locally and further afield.
- 1. Reduce land degradation relating to desertification
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 5. Prevent erosion
With 10+ years of experience in tech companies around Europe, Julie is one of the founders and COO behind Agreena, which developed one of the world's first internationally accredited soil carbon certification platforms, enabling companies to achieve their sustainability targets and support farmers to transition to regenerative practices. AgreenaCarbon is shaping the future of sustainable agriculture for a more resilient food system.
Scaling a vital climate solution and enabling farmers to improve soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience across Europe.
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
- 7. Reduce the EU global footprint on soils
Robin Saluoks is the CEO of eAgronom, a leading regenerative agriculture platform in Europe, empowering thousands of farmers managing over 2.5 million hectares. eAgronom pioneers breakthrough farm-level data collection technologies and conducts field trials across Europe to promote soil-friendly practices directly within farmers' communities. Robin has been recognized as the AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneur of the Year and featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his contributions to sustainable agriculture and innovation.
eAgronom began in 2016 as a Farm Management Software, with its first prototype already featuring a humus balance calculator. There was no business motive behind it—we simply wanted farmers to see how every decision impacts their soil. Like any production system, farming relies on its "factory"—the environment. At its core, soil is the heart of this factory, and improving it not only enhances sustainability but also boosts farm efficiency.
- 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
Kaj is a curious environmental professional facilitating practice-research-policy solutions and for healthy soils and health land and marine ecosystems. Over 20+ years he has worked in and across the private, academic, governmental and inter-governmental arenas helping connecting soil and water related issues and the people needed to develop the solutions and to put them into use. He has developed partnerships, run projects and opened processes for innovations in both practice and policy measures and participated in events and other dialogues on the international arena. A corner stone of his work at the Baltic Sea Action Group is communicating the multiple values and benefits of healthy soils at national and EU levels as part of exploring inclusive circular and regenerative transition.
As a marine and maritime person by second nature, I'm naturally drawn to the health of the Baltic Sea as my home sea. But through my work, I have learned and discovered the key role of the soil in the ecosystem and also in terms of its connection to human and economic activities. Healthy soil is critical and instrumental in supporting healthy life also above ground and in the seas. My work focuses on agriculture and finding small concrete steps towards food systems that value healthy soils.
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 5. Prevent erosion
- 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
Permaculture expert, Perrine Bulgheroni, founded the renowned Bec Hellouin farm, pioneering bio-intensive techniques yielding high productivity on small plots. Author of "Living with the Earth" and other influential works, she advocates for regenerative agriculture, fostering soil health and biodiversity. Now working on cooperative farming models, Perrine promotes collaborative food production and community resilience. As a Knight of the National Order of Merit, she's recognized for her dedication to sustainable practices. Now a consultant, teacher, and coach, Perrine shares her expertise globally, inspiring individuals and organizations to embrace permaculture for a more sustainable future: ecological principles can transform agriculture.
Soil is the foundation of life and the way to a thrilling future! My permaculture work centers on nurturing soil health through regenerative practices. I teach, consult, and inspire action for soil protection and restoration, fostering a deeper understanding of its vital role. Soil's alive! It's key to healthy ecosystems, food and climate.
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 5. Prevent erosion
- 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
Maja Mogwitz (32) is an agricultural economist who grew up on a farm. Her passion for agriculture led her to study agricultural sciences. Three years ago, she became self-employed, specializing in agricultural communication and agri-marketing. With solid expertise and creativity, she helps companies and organizations communicate effectively within the agricultural sector. She also hosts the podcast "Jung & Landwirtin", where she shares experiences, insights, and stories from farm life—covering both professional topics and personal perspectives.
My name is Maja Mogwitz, a conventional farmer near Hanover. Healthy soil is the foundation of our family farm, now in its 13th generation. I use soil-friendly methods, cover crops, and smart farming technologies like sensor-controlled systems to reduce pesticides. My goal is to raise awareness about the value of fertile soils and encourage their sustainable use.
- 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
- 5. Prevent erosion
- 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops