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Academic Papers & Books

How soils are measured shapes how they are governed - indicators shape worlds. And yet, these spaces of decision-making remain largely close to public scrutiny. This paper on the politics of soil biodiversity indicators in Finland analyses why eDNA has become so popular, and what the consequences of basing soil governance strongly on eDNA may be.

 

How do farmers perceive soil health? A survey study explored Vermont farmers beliefs and preferences in terms of soil health metrics. It shows that climate change beliefs are a strong predictor of farmer soil health importance beliefs and that their understanding is aligned with system-oriented thinking.

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A citizen science project in Southern-East France raising home gardeners’ awareness of soil complexity and how to maintain healthy soil, through close interaction between the gardeners, a local citizen association, agronomy students, and researchers. 

 

This research article draws on the experiences of ten citizen science projects in France to examine shared errors or difficulties, ranging from plain mistakes, uncertainties that are inherent to the plasticity of citizen science projects, and difficulties can provide beneficial opportunities

 

This perspective paper revisits the European Citizen Science Association’s (ECSA) Ten Principles of Citizen Science under the specific lens of agri-food research. 

 

Which areas and issues draw the attention of soil researchers? This literature review shows that though soil health research in Brazil has greatly increased in recent years, it is geographically limited and focused on carbon depletion and soil fertility at the expense of other issues, such as pollution and biodiversity loss.

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Soil Arts

​All About Soil is a new shared platform bringing together various soil-related projects into a single Soil Cluster account to streamline communication. 

 

Internationally acclaimed land artist, Delcy Morelos, presents 'Madre': a large-scale earthwork installation at the German National Gallery Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin. It explores themes of earth, Indigenous knowledge, regeneration, and the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. Open from July 11 2025 to January 25 2026.

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The exhibition Planetary Peasants, a collaboration between the Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt and Werkleitz, presents 30 contemporary artistic positions from May 23 to September 14, 2025, at Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle (Saale) to explore the production conditions and emancipatory potential of today’s agricultural practices, juxtaposed with societal issues and challenges that led to the Peasants' War in Europe 500 years ago.

 

The interdisciplinary artistic research project, Soil and Friends, is a collaboration between the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw and the PLATO City Gallery of Art in Ostrava, comprising two group exhibitions, a public programme, artist residencies, and site-specific activities from June 27 to October 26.

 

Book preorders are available for Soils Turn – A Fielguide to Artistic Earthly Engagements, highlighting the work of 175 soil artists and edited by Alexandra Toland and Patricia Watts. Published by ecoartspace and Bauhaus-Universität Weima. Stay tuned for launch dates! 

Two courses, Participatory Action Research & Transdisciplinary Agroecology and Transformative Agroecology are offered by the Institute for Agroecology of the University of Vermont. Open for hybrid participation. Next start date August 25, 2025.

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Soil Events 

There is time until September 30 to apply for the Soilscape open call, which will award funding to artistic and creative projects capable of spreading soil literacy and promoting land protection.

 

Are you working on or are you planning a project in line with the objectives of the 4/1000 initiative? If so, until 31st August you can submit a request for project evaluation and support - helpful in applying for funding.

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A new podcast of the Mission Soil Podcast Series is out: Episode 3 – Exploring the Living Labs of Mission Soil.

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​European Parliament adopted the agreement on Soil Monitoring Law. The agreement, now awaiting formal approval by the Council, establishes a comprehensive framework for monitoring soil health and ensures that soil is assessed in all EU Member States. 

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The second International Forum on Agroecosystem Living Labs will be held in  Bordeaux, France, from October 15 to 17, 2025. Registration is open till October 1st.