GENEVA/PARIS—When the European Union determines which assets are strategic, it tends to focus on those where a rival already dominates production (or could one day). That is why we hear so much about semiconductors, batteries, rare earths, and hydrogen. But we almost never hear about an EU asset that cannot be replicated elsewhere: Europe’s soil.

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Often regarded as part of the landscape, soil is, in fact, vital infrastructure. It is the foundation of our food systems, producing 95% of the food the world consumes. Moreover, European soils hold some 75 billion tons of carbon, several times that in the living biomass of its forests, and its porous structure serves as a buffer against droughts and floods—destructive events that have become increasingly common features of European summers.

But Europe’s soil is dying. According to the European Commission, an estimated........

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