


Soil Care Network Newsletter
May 2025
by Daniel Richter, Anni Piiroinen, Alexandra Toland, Nicola Wynn, Jamie Nix, Clement Boyer, Charlotte Chivers, Michiel van de Pavert, and Anna Krzywoszynska
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Academic Papers & Books
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This recent opinion paper challenges a recent proposal to define the field of soil science primarily through its societal contributions, arguing that such an approach risks constraining soil science's scientific identity and argue that transformative solutions often emerge from fundamental research
A recent paper explores opportunities and challenges associated with new societal interest in soil science and calls for increased collaborations with other disciplines and social sciences as well as with the public.
This research paper investigates toxic materialities through the non-human multispecies interactions involved in soil bioremediation processes in the context of electronic waste pollution.
This paper investigates the role of Decision Support Tools in fostering soil health in European farms.
A total of 115 tools were assessed to study the current limitations to adoption and use. They conclude that increasing user engagement, enhancing technical integration and improving accessibility are essential are essential for promoting a wider use of DSTs to improve soil health
A new research paper explores the political, economical and ideological conditions that limit or instead enable the potential of care in human-soil relations in the context of Norwegian farmers.
Videogames can affect what it means to be a good farmer. This paper investigates a popular videogame that promotes a productivist approach to farming, focusing on purchasing land and machinery while ignoring questions around soil health.
Using the concept of soil security, this paper argues for stronger soil policymaking and proposes nine core principles to guide this effort.
Soil Science: An Extension Perspective. A new edited book by Sanjay Kumar Raina, Subhash Chand and Shakeel Mir
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Soil Art
The British Society of Soil Science has launched a new podcast series Soil Matters - listen to the first two episodes on bioremediation, and on regenerative agriculture. Also available on most podcast platforms.
For the fifth and final edition of the Ecoartspace Online Soils Turn Speaker Series, Indigenous artist, curator and writer Monique Verdin will present Nanih Bvlbancha, one of Prospect New Orleans Artist of Public Memory modern monument initiatives stewarded by an Intertribal collective of Artists, Educators, Researchers, Gardeners, Herbalists, Water Protectors, Land Defenders and Culture Keepers. Q&A will be moderated by Patricia Watts, curator and founder of ecoartspace. The event will be held on May 22 and is free for Ecoartspace members + one guest.$5 for non-members. All participants MUST REGISTER. Times are as follows: 9am HST, 12pm PDT, 1pm MDT, 2pm CDT, 3pm, 20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST, Friday May 23, 5am AEST.
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ECOPOETIKON is an international project that researches and showcases poetry with ecological and social consciousness. Through its online platform, it highlights diverse voices from around the world, raising awareness of environmental issues and inspiring positive change.
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Lola Ben-Alon and the Natural Materials Lab have been invited to present their installation EARTHEN RITUALS as part of the Intelli/Gens and Materials Bank space at the 19th International Architecture exhibition, Venice, Italy. May 10 through November 23, 2025.
Exhibition Tip: Planetarische Bauern (Planetary Peasants): Agriculture, Art, and Revolution
From May 23 to September 14 the Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle (Saale) marks the 500th anniversary of the end of the German Peasants’ War with a contemporary artistic exploration. Based on the conditions and unresolved questions of historical events, the project examines the state of globalized agriculture, the realities of farmers' lives today, and the relevance of the demands made in 1525 from a contemporary perspective.
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Soil Events
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Microplastics Scientific Workshop – Plastics Europe. May 9-10, 2025. The EU-funded project MINAGRIS (MIcro- and NAno-Plastics in AGRIcultural Soils) organized an in-person workshop in Vienna, Austria. Register here for the in-person for free or check out their great monthly newsletter to learn about the latest research on microplastic pollution.
(Last) Call for abstract EUROSOIL 2025. The deadline for abstract submission is May 15th to participate to the VII Eurosoil 2025 Congress that will be held in Seville, Spain 8-12 september 2025. It will also host the EUSO 5th Stakeholders ForuM.
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The French "Institut de la Transition Foncière" organizes a seminar on european soil governance on 15th May. You can have all the details (in french) on this page
Join the PREPSOIL Final Event on May 26th 2025 in Brussels. Since 2022, the PREPSOIL (Preparing for the "Soil Deal for Europe" Mission) project aim has been to facilitate the deployment of the Mission across European regions.
The international Soil Assembly network was born in 2022 out of a spontaneous desire to bring together humans from many fields and territories with plants, microbes, fungi, algae, seeds, and other practitioners in the web of life, to share stories and practices of biodiversity, soil regeneration and planetary care. Soil Assembly #1 was held in Kochi, India in 2023. The Soil Assembly #2 : Tinku Uku Pacha takes place from the 8th to the 10th if May 2025 in La Chimba, Ecuador, a rural indigenous community in the Andes, home to the great peasant leader Tránsito Amaguaña who, along with many others, fought for indigenous peoples’ rights and access to land. Participation in program activities is free of charge and open to all. The daytime activities will be broadcast live on the Internet, with simultaneous translation between English and Spanish on Friday. Program here
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