Horizon Europe – HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07

SoilTribes

SoilTribes aims at fostering a deep-rooted connection between society and soil, paving the way towards inspiring “back to Earth” narratives and empowering diverse communities to engage in soil stewardship through a shared language, knowledge base, and collective action. The project recognizes that healthy soils are fundamental to food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity, yet they are increasingly threatened by climate change, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and other human-driven pressures. By building multi-actor communities, SoilTribes seeks to bridge scientific knowledge with art and cultural narratives, policy frameworks, and innovative practices to drive sustainable soil management and conservation.

This initiative will establish and activate a dynamic community, including the SoilTribes Community of Practice (CoP), Stewardship Assemblies (SA), and Soil Lab Activators (SLA), all working together to address soil-related challenges, especially in the areas of soil literacy and connectivity. The goal is to encourage collaboration, peer learning, and exchange across multidisciplinary teams within the quintuple helix at various levels. Through this approach, SoilTribes will drive innovation, promote policy-shaping, and build sustainable partnerships that contribute to the realization of the Soil for Europe mission.

The SoilTribes project seeks to establish a funding scheme that fosters and scales up successful initiatives, encouraging multidisciplinary exchanges and harnessing the full potential of multi-actor-led innovations within the science, arts, and society nexus. By unveiling the role of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) and art-related products, services, and processes, the initiative aims to raise soil literacy, mobilize populations, and promote a transformative process toward a climate-neutral society that values its soils. Furthermore, the project will support innovative communication campaigns, creative soil-related activities, and citizen engagement actions, applying participatory methodologies to encourage sustainable practices and behavioral change.

SoilTribes is committed to designing multi-actor tools and resources to build capacities and assist institutions at all levels in engaging citizens creatively in protecting and restoring soil health. The project will develop a central repository of resources created by the consortium and co-created with end-users, providing access to vital information and training that supports sustainable land management practices and enhances soil literacy.

SoilTribes will engage actors at all levels through creative methods, including soil-related arts and innovative methodologies, to broaden awareness and involvement in soil and land-related issues. Regular festivals and events will celebrate soil health, increase soil literacy across society, and showcase exemplary projects. The initiative will also promote the role of ambassadors to advocate for soil stewardship and raise visibility around soil-related challenges.

The project will implement a robust engagement, communication, dissemination, and exploitation strategy to raise awareness and foster soil literacy. It will create a distinctive brand identity and clear messaging, sharing best practices and project progress through various channels, including an online platform. This will ensure the project’s results reach and engage target groups, creating a multiplier effect and encouraging widespread uptake of the findings.

SoilTribes will ensure efficient project coordination and management, adhering to the work plan and fostering smooth communication within the consortium and with external bodies like the EC. Progress will be continuously evaluated, risks monitored, and impact assessed to ensure that activities achieve their desired outcomes. Ethical and data protection issues will be carefully managed to uphold the project’s integrity.

The project will ensure that all activities, including those by third parties, comply with EU and international ethical and legal frameworks, especially concerning vulnerable groups and data protection. An independent Ethics Advisor will be appointed, and an Internal Board for Ethical Matters will be formed to provide oversight, ensuring ongoing monitoring and assessment of ethical risks throughout the project’s lifespan.

Duration

01/01/2025 – 31/12/2027

Funding

€ 5.999.859,25

Partners

INOVA+, Politecnico di Milano, Wageningen University and Research, Office for Climate Education, Youthmakers Hub (YMH), ICLEI Europe, Platoniq Foundation, PiNA, Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET), Aarhus University, EIT Climate-KIC, The Living Soils Workshop​, AgroTransilvania Cluster​, European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), European Rural Development Network (ERDN), iFOS Forestry Solutions (iFOS GmbH), PédeXumbo, Hexagone Scène Nationale, Viborg Municipality, Cluj-Napoca Municipality, Michałowice Municipality, Altea Municipality, Scafati Municipality, Nantes Municipality, Fundão Municipality