Dear community of soil enthusiasts, 

We are pleased to share with you exciting news from the project and some interesting events happening in the soil community. 

Enjoy the read!

Exploring Soil Through Art, Sound and Taste 

The CURIOSOIL Project consortium meeting in Wageningen, Netherlands, was a truly immersive experience. Marcus Maeder led a session on soil acoustics, revealing the hidden sounds beneath our feet, while participants used drawing and sound to connect with soil in new ways. Masharu’s talk on the cultural, historical, and nutritional significance of soil, followed by a soil tasting, challenged how we think about food. Blending science, art, and sensory exploration, the workshop offered fresh perspectives on our relationship with soil. Huge thanks to Stephan Mantel and the ISRIC – World Soil Information team for an unforgettable experience!

CURIOSOIL leads in growth on the LinkedIn Leaderboard!

The CURIOSOIL Project has climbed to the top for growth rate on the LinkedIn Leaderboard, a friendly competition by REVOLVE. Would you like your project to be featured on the leaderboard? Join the movement by reaching out to pauline@revolve.media 

Pedro Pedroza: The Food We See on Supermarket Shelves Doesn’t Magically Appear, It Starts in the Soil

Pedro Pedrosa, Co-CEO of Gaia Education, reflects on the vital role of soil in sustaining our daily lives. Pedro reminds us that the food we see on supermarket shelves doesn’t magically appear, it starts in the soil, nurtured by an intricate ecosystem. By understanding this, we can better appreciate the role soil plays in sustaining not just our food systems but life as a whole. 

CURIOSOIL Was Presented at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission

On 13 and 14 March, CURIOSOIL Project researchers (Sonia Rodrigues, Universidade de Aveiro and Stephan Mantel, ISRIC – World Soil Information) participated in a Workshop on advancing soil literacy at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (Ispra, Italy), organised by the EU Soil Observatory with the assistance of the European Network of Soil Awareness and Mission Soil.

Mobile Storytelling Training for CURIOSOIL Communities

CURIOSOIL partner ECOLISE hosted an interactive online training session for CURIOSOIL’s Communities of Practice (CoPs). Led by Ariane von Bethusy-Huc, Video Producer & Director at the European Science Communication Institute (ESCI), the session provided practical tips and techniques for creating professional-looking videos with minimal resources.

#WhyITeachSoil Campaign: The Quiz Continues!

The #WhyITeachSoil campaign brings you a soil related question every two weeks. Have you checked the last one?

Stay tuned and follow us on LinkedIn to test your knowledge with a new quiz question every two weeks! ✨

Participate in the “Why I Teach Soil” Campaign and Support CURIOSOIL’s Soil Education Efforts

Are you a teacher or head teacher willing to join CURIOSOIL’s mission? Our campaign is dedicated to you!

The objective of the “Why I Teach Soil” campaign is to raise awareness about soil health and promote soil literacy among teachers, head teachers and students. This brings an exciting opportunity to discover innovative and fun ways to bring soil science into the classroom with free educational content. Through engaging projects and hands-on activities, you’ll inspire the next generation of soil guardians!

#ArtandSoil – Exploring the Unseen with Wim Van Egmond

Science and photography come together in Wim van Egmond’s work, revealing worlds beyond human perception. His expertise lies in microscopy and stereoscopy, techniques that extend the boundaries of what our eyes can see. Over the years, he has expanded his craft to include filmmaking and time-lapse photography, bringing microscopic life into motion.

Soil Curiosities 💡

Imagine sitting on a bench… and it starts teaching you about soil.

At Cranfield University, Dr Dan Evans has created ‘talking benches’, outdoor seats with built-in audio that share insights about the ground beneath us.

These benches, placed around Cranfield’s campus, help people learn about soil in a simple, engaging way. Unlike museum audio exhibits, they’re portable and easy to update, meaning they can be moved to different locations and feature new topics over time.

Soilhood updates 🔔

New Course by Gaia Education

Bioregioning In Practice is a new Gaia Education course. Starts on 21 April 2025.

Open Call to Farmers

LILAS4SOILS seeks 50 more farmers for its project, offering €5,000/year for 3 years.

Introducing the Mission Soil Project Hub

Discover the new Mission Soil project hub – a comprehensive resource for exploring projects funded under the Mission and other related initiatives.

HuMUS: Soil Steward training programme 

HuMUS training programmes are publicly available to increase awareness and understanding of the value of soils and soil health challenges and their bio-physical and socio-economic drivers across Europe.

Soil-tastic Opportunities 🎯

CURIOSOIL brings you the latest #SoilOpportunities, including jobs, events, calls, scholarships and more from the world of soil science and beyond, delivered weekly! 

Upcoming Events 🗓️

NBSOIL Academy Module 3 Launch Webinar

How can digital tools transform the way we monitor and map soil health?

Join the launch webinar of the third module of the NBSOIL Academy. 

2025 Soil Health Now Conference

A 3-days international conference (8-10 April) with keynotes, discussion forums, oral talks, workshops and demonstrations, fieldwork: science, technology and business intelligence for measuring monitoring and increasing soil health.

Ecosystems Training – Regenerating our Relationship with the Earth

Within this training, Gaia will focus on practices and workshops like permaculture, exploring health-sustaining cycles in our ecosystems, planetary healing through individual and communal well-being and connection, and exploring the power of multigenerational and cross-cultural knowledge by using and combining the wisdom of our own culture and communities. 

Hackathon: Exploring augmented reality in a mobile application

The hackathon “Digging deep: Innovating soil education through augmented and mixed reality (AR-MR) in a mobile app” invites educators, soil specialists, developers, designers, and technologists to revolutionise the way people learn about soils. Date: 10 and 11 April 2025. Venue: Wageningen, the Netherlands.

2025 Summer meeting Curiosoil Community of Practice: Awakening Soil Curiosity to Catalyse Soil Literacy

Are you passionate about soil education and innovation? Join us in the Curiosoil project’s Community of Practice (CoP) and become a part of a collaborative network dedicated to advancing soil literacy across Europe.

Stay connected with us!

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