Abstract
Chemical innovation plays a key role to support the agrifood system with the final goal to deliver secure, healthy food for a growing population. The underlying link between chemical innovation, agrifood system and the 2030 sustainable agenda may have received less attention than it deserves. Here we provide an overview of the agrifood system and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside distinct aspects of the innovation with a focus on the Swiss reality are presented. Finally, the critical and unspoken role of soil for a wide range of SDGs is underlined. Some major axes on how chemical research and technologies can set new pathway to innovate through soil are discussed.