Research project Soil Salinity in Europe: Drivers, indicators, current levels and temporal changes

General introduction

The project SaliNova addresses the emerging and still poorly understood risk of soil salinization driven by the interaction between climate change, water management, and land use. In Flanders, the project targets vulnerable low-lying agricultural areas where historic saline groundwater lenses, saltwater intrusion, and irrigation practices actively contribute to salt accumulation in soils. Under more frequent and longer droughts, these processes may reduce crop productivity, degrade soil health, and threaten long-term agricultural viability on affected land. 
 

Research approach

SaliNova tackles this challenge by improving monitoring, integrating data, and developing predictive models to detect and anticipate salinity risks at field scale. It equips farmers and policymakers in Flanders, the EU and the world with practical decision-support tools and strategies to mitigate and prevent soil salinization and to adapt agricultural practices to salinization.

Relevance/Valorization

ILVO will operate a local demonstration hub in Flanders-the Netherlands, where innovative mitigation and adaptation strategies will be tested and demonstrated under real-life conditions. These hubs will serve as living laboratories where farmers, advisors, and researchers jointly evaluate practices such as improved drainage, irrigation strategies, and soil management measures. 

At the same time, ILVO will actively connect these demonstration activities to policy processes by generating evidence on impacts, trade-offs, and benefits of different management options. This evidence will be translated into actionable recommendations, feeding into regional and European policy frameworks. 
 

Financing

EU Horizon Europe