We are pleased to share with you exciting news from the project and some interesting initiatives and events happening in the soil community.
Enjoy the read!
CURIOSOIL Consortium Met in Ljubljana, Slovenia
From 3–5 March, the CURIOSOIL consortium gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for our Annual General Assembly, bringing partners together to reflect on progress and shape what comes next. From a thought-provoking art performance by Dette Glashouwer to exploring the underground river of Škocjan Caves and regenerative practices at Gramona Farm, the programme connected science, culture and real-world experience. Hosts: Borut Vrščaj and Katja Črnec (Fakulteta za varstvo okolja / Faculty of Environmental Protection) Photo: Claudia Rodríguez Santamarta (REVOLVE)
2026 Spring CURIOSOIL Community of Practice - Deepening Soil Literacy Across Europe
The latest CURIOSOIL Community of Practice session brought together educators, artists and practitioners from across Europe to explore new approaches to soil literacy, from creative and sensory methods to formal education pathways.
The focus now shifts from exchange to practice: Participants are invited to test new lesson plans in Dutch, English and French and to provide feedback on the piloted educational materials. You can also explore the World Soil Museum app and contribute to its improvement by completing a short survey!
Save the Date! CURIOSOIL CoP Summer Meeting 16 June 2026
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. Save the date: 16th June!
Women Root for Soil: Exploring Historical Highlights
CURIOSOIL is leading the campaign #WomenRootforSoil, highlighting women’s contributions to soil science and education. Follow the CURIOSOIL Project to learn more and join the conversation!
In February, the CURIOSOIL team came together at Wageningen University & Research for a Transformative Science Workshop facilitated by Wietse Wiersma, Postdoctoral Researcher of Soil Geography & Landscape. The session opened space to explore how engaging with soil from different perspectives can deepen our work on soil literacy. These conversations are helping us expand how we understand soil and how we can spark curiosity about it throughout the project lifetime. A special thanks to ISRIC, World Soil Information for hosting us at the World Soil Museum—an inspiring place to hold these conversations.
Explore and contribute to CURIOSOILNET: Mapping Soil Education in Action
CURIOSOILNET is a participatory mapping initiative developed by the team at University of Palermo in the CURIOSOIL project. It aims to identify and connect good practices in soil-related awareness, training, and non-formal and informal education, with a focus on vocational training and lifelong learning. Many organisations carry out impactful soil-related activities at the local level without wider visibility. This digital map brings these initiatives together to encourage exchange and collaboration. The information collected will be publicly accessible and may also be featured in the CURIOSOIL Portfolio of Good Practices. Explore further and add your own initiatives to the map!
The SLAF is being developed to understand how students, teachers, and the wider public across Europe understand and engage with soils. By mapping current levels of soil literacy, the SLAF helps us design better educational materials, activities, and communication tools that meet people where they are.
CURIOSOIL Workshop Advances Soil Education in Romania
On 26 February 2026, the CURIOSOIL project held its first national workshop in Romania at Cluj Hub, bringing together educators and stakeholders from across primary, secondary, tertiary and informal education.The session fostered rich discussion and practical outcomes. Led by Andreas Pohl and Ionela Beldean, the workshop focused on validating the national analysis of soil education, exploring available teaching resources, and co-creating policy recommendations. National workshops will continue to be hosted across CURIOSOIL member countries throughout the spring and early summer.
The Soil Curiosity Book of Activities is an ongoing, co-created resource that forms part of the Soil Curiosity Kit. You are invited to share activities that awaken soil curiosity across a wide variety of educational contexts, using accessible and affordable materials and without requiring specialised knowledge from educators or facilitators.
We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Elaine Ingham on February 16th. As we launched our Women Root for Soil campaign to highlight the vital contributions of women in soil science, we featured Dr. Ingham in recognition of her extraordinary impact on the field. For over four decades, she advanced global understanding of the soil food web and championed the role of soil biology in regenerating ecosystems and strengthening food systems. Her work helped reshape how farmers, scientists, and communities view soil. Through education, research and the founding of Soil Foodweb Inc., she empowered thousands of people worldwide to restore soil health. At CURIOSOIL, we honour her legacy and the path she paved for future generations of women in soil science. Her contributions will continue to inspire more equitable, inclusive and resilient approaches to soil management.
Meet Our Community of Practice Leaders Across Europe
Born in Argentina, Milagros Bullón is an agricultural engineer specialised in sustainability. She earned her degree from the National University of Mar del Plata and continued her studies with a diploma of specialisation in sustainability, ecological ethics and environmental education from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Autonomous University of Madrid. In 2022, Milagros joined the Arterra Bizimodu ecovillage (Navarra, Spain) as a volunteer, beginning her journey into eco-social transition through the global ecovillage movement. She currently resides in the same ecovillage, where she actively participates in an ecological agricultural project.
Manja Vrenko is co-founder and coordinator of Sunny Hill, an association for a sustainable culture of living. Sunny Hill runs a permaculture homestead in a rural Istrian hinterland that produces enough fresh vegetables for a small community of 6 people all year round. Manja has been a permaculture practitioner for over a decade and actively experiments with soil regeneration using cover crops, grazing animals and wood chip mulch. At Sunny Hill, she was involved in the project Classroom for Life which aimed to bring more hands-on experiential education methods to classrooms.
Elise Matilde Malik is a PhD candidate and science communicator with a passion for engaging the public in environmental and agricultural topics through art. She has a background in museum studies and organic agriculture and has been based at Vitenparken Campus Ås, a Norwegian science center for food, environment, and sustainability just outside of Oslo, Norway, for the past decade. At Vitenparken, Elise works on agricultural science dissemination through events, workshops, exhibitions, and gardening. The center also hosts a contemporary Bio Art Arena with artists in residence and environmentally-oriented art experiences. She is currently working on her PhD, focusing on soil literacy with a particular emphasis on scientific and artistic European soil exhibitions.
Beneath the forest floor, trees are connected by a hidden network of fungi and roots, often called the “wood wide web.” This underground system lets plants share water and nutrients and even send warning signals to each other. Scientists like Suzanne Simard have shown that forests don’t function as isolated trees, but as connected communities that support one another.
2026: Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer
In 2026, the global community celebrates the International Year of the Woman Farmer, a United Nations initiative aimed at recognising the vital role women play in agriculture and food systems worldwide.
European Commission launched Women in Farming Platform
To coincide with International Women’s Day, the European Commission has launched the Women in Farming platform, a new initiative designed to empower women in farming and strengthen equal opportunities in this sector and rural communities.
Deadline for abstracts: 31 March - Soils for Europe Conference
The Soils for Europe Conference co-organised by multiple Mission Soil projects will cover sessions on all Mission Objectives, including cross-cutting sessions, aiming to showcase the latest research being developed across Europe.
LOESS High-level Symposium: Shaping Soil Health Education for 2030 and Beyond
Join LOESS on 7 May 2026 at Barcelona’s Social Hub—or online—for the LOESS Symposium, a key moment in boosting soil health education and capacity building across Europe. Throughout the day, LOESS will reflect on how to better integrate soil literacy into schools, universities, vocational training and society at large. 7 May 2026, 9:30–18:00 In-person attendance: Hub Social (C/ Girona 34, Barcelona) Hybrid attendance: The link will be made available a few days before the Symposium.
The 13th edition of the International Symposium on Earthworm Ecology
The 13th International Symposium on Earthworm Ecology (#ISEE13) is coming to Wageningen! This edition’s theme “From the lab to the field, from the field to the lab” highlights the crucial links between experimental research and real-world practice.
Save the Date: 23–28 August 2026 #ISEE13 in Wageningen, Netherlands
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