Soil Health Guards

Cultivating Soil Connectivity: Empowering Farmers and Youth Community as Citizen Scientists to Monitor Soil Health and Biodiversity

This project aims to involve farmers and youth as citizen scientists, through relevant agricultural organizations and (pre)school institutions, to jointly monitor soil health indicators on the territory of Vojvodina during the period 2024-2025.

Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable agriculture. In Serbia, the lack of comprehensive soil monitoring is a critical issue. Citizen science initiatives can bridge this gap by monitoring key soil indicators on a significant temporal and spatial scale. As stewards of land and soil sustainability, farmers and youth offer a great potential to enhance soil connectivity on individual and societal levels. This project aims to engage respective citizen scientist groups, through agricultural organizations and (pre)schools, to jointly monitor selected relevant soil health indicators on the territory of Vojvodina Province. Participants will receive group-tailored training and support from research scientists over two years. Following data collection, validation, and analysis, results will be communicated back to participants to draw conclusions and cultivate awareness of the importance of soil health.

Thematic areas

Biodiversity Carbon farming Living Labs

Project contribution to Mission Soil’s:

Specific objectives

  • 1. Reduce land degradation relating to desertification
    Not targeted
  • 2. Conserve and increase soil organic carbon stocks
    Not targeted
  • 3. No net soil sealing and increase the reuse of urban soils
    Not targeted
  • 4. Reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
    Not targeted
  • 5. Prevent erosion
    Not targeted
  • 6. Improve soil structure to enhance habitat quality for soil biota and crops
    Partially targeted
  • 7. Reduce the EU global footprint on soils
    Not targeted
  • 8. Increase soil literacy in society across Member States
    Partially targeted

Operational objectives

  • 1. Build capacities and the knowledge base for soil stewardship
    Partially targeted
  • 2. Co-create and upscale place-based innovations to improve soil health in all places
    Not targeted
  • 3. Develop an integrated EU soil monitoring system and track progress towards soil health
    Targeted
  • 4. Engage with the soil user community and society at large
    Targeted

Innovation hotspots

  • 1. Carbon farming
    Not targeted
  • 2. Soil pollution and restoration
    Not targeted
  • 3. Soil biodiversity including the microbiome
    Targeted
  • 4. Circular economy solutions
    Not targeted

Cross-cutting dimensions

  • 1. Business
    Not targeted
  • 2. Digital
    Not targeted
  • 3. Territorial
    Not targeted
  • 4. International
    Not targeted

© European Union, 2024. Image sources: Adobe.Stock.com