Title: Social innovation for soils

Authors: Marie-Pierre Dussine

Addresses: CEREFIGE, Université de Lorraine, CEREFIGE, Université de Lorraine, FR-57045 Metz, France

Abstract: Depending on their use, soils can provide many ecosystem services, such as food supply, water purification, climate regulation or biodiversity protection. Healthy soils are therefore a prerequisite for the achievement of many sustainable development goals (SDGs). Conversely, soil sealing is a real threat to living organisms as it prevents soils from producing these crucial services. While many policies seem to have failed so far to curb land take, this paper examines how they could be today complemented by the mobilisation of different stakeholders in a polycentric equilibrium able to preserve soils. This equilibrium is based on a social innovation that requires sufficient creativity to involve stakeholders who do not necessarily share the same vision of soils. This paper draws on Behavioural Economics to outline the conditions.

Keywords: behavioural economics; creativity; polycentric equilibrium; social innovation; soil sealing; sustainable development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2025.147006

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2025 Vol.19 No.4, pp.409 - 421

Received: 12 May 2022
Accepted: 30 Apr 2023
Published online: 10 Jul 2025 *

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