The World Living Soils Forum Concludes its Second Edition with a Call for Collective Action to Protect Living Soils

ARLES, France, Oct. 10, 2024 /CNW/ -- Moët Hennessy, the Wines & Spirits division of LVMH, and ChangeNOW, a key facilitator of the ecological and social transition, yesterday concluded the second edition of the World Living Soils Forum (WLSF) at LUMA Arles. This international event, which brought together numerous stakeholders committed to soil regeneration, concluded with a call for collective action to preserve and regenerate living soils.

World Living Soils Forum (PRNewsfoto/Moët Hennessy)

The second edition of the World Living Soils Forum concluded after two days of meetings and exchanges bringing together scientists, institutions, business leaders, start-ups, farmers, and executives from both the private and public sectors. Together, they shared questions, solutions, and actions related to soil regeneration, with the aim of accelerating the agricultural and winegrowing transition.

Key figures from this edition:

• More than 500 participants in Arles and 100 in the satellite events in China and the United States
• Over 70 sessions including roundtables, conferences, keynotes, workshops, pitches, etc.
• 164 speakers from all over the world and 20 moderators
• More than 20 solutions, including one "Coup de Coeur" award.

"Living soils are at the heart of our agricultural and winegrowing activities and our sustainable development strategy," said Philippe Schaus, CEO of Moët Hennessy. "We don't have all the solutions, but we want to act as a catalyst for stakeholders to move towards a common goal of soil preservation and regeneration. Our mission is to bring together as many people as possible, address soil-related issues, and accelerate the movement of an ecosystem of committed stakeholders. Together, we must continue to act and scale up."

A call to action to place soil regeneration at the heart of economic, educational, and political strategies.

During this second edition, a call for collective action was launched, with the aim of mobilizing even more widely around the need to preserve and regenerate soils. As supporters of life, guarantors of our health and the development of biodiversity, and at the source of our ways of consuming, feeding ourselves, and clothing ourselves, it is essential to protect this ecosystem on which we all depend, for our sustainability and that of future generations. This text, conceived and written with the support of the WLSF's external Advisory Board, recalls the challenges of soil health and details possible courses of action and commitment for all stakeholders. Farmers and field actors, businesses and economic actors, scientists, institutions, education and training stakeholders, media, NGOs, and citizens are invited to sign the call and work together on these issues.

To commit and share the call: https://wlsf2024.fillout.com/t/iBzQjpWXDrus

Among the key takeaways from this 2024 edition:    
The systemic dimension of the challenges highlights the need to address the issue of living soils in all its complexity, integrating economic, environmental, social, and cultural dimensions. By bringing together all stakeholders, the WLSF accelerates the sharing of best practices, strengthens connections between different actors, promotes innovative solutions, and fosters a new narrative around the importance of soils for the future of humanity.

Other highlights:

• Satellite Events: For the first time, the debates in Arles were enriched by live contributions from the United States and China, allowing for a more international perspective on agricultural and cultural practices.
• Living Soils Workshops: Interactive educational workshops raised awareness about the importance of soils.
• "Coup de Coeur" Award: The jury awarded the EF Polymer solution, a 100% biodegradable and certified organic superabsorbent polymer that improves water retention in soils. Easily deployable, it reduces irrigation needs by 30 to 40% while increasing crop yields by 15%.

The replays of the conferences can be found on: https://www.worldlivingsoilsforum.com/ 

Press
Quentin DURAND
Head of Corporate Communications
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SOURCE Moët Hennessy