Despite advances in soil health research, a significant communication gap persists between scientific jargon and public discourse, which can hinder widespread behavioural change . The Horizon Europe SOILSCAPE project addresses this gap by utilising cultural and creative industries, arts, and participatory methodologies to transform human-soil relationships and foster deep, emotional connections to soil ecosystems. This poster outlines the project’s multifaceted approach to improving soil literacy, structured across five core blocks of action:
1. Mapping Societal Perceptions & Capacities: To understand current soil narratives, SOILSCAPE analysed 122 mass and social media datasets, identifying dominant metaphors and communication gaps . Concurrently, the project mapped regional governance frameworks and established a capacity matrix of over 900 art-soil stakeholders to mobilise cross-sector collaboration.
2. SEPIA: A Photovoice-Inspired Approach: The project developed SEPIA (Soil Environments Based on a Photovoice-Inspired Approach), a participatory methodology that captures community soil perceptions directly through citizens' camera lenses . By facilitating focus group discussions around these images, SEPIA reveals how diverse groups relate to local "soilscapes," providing intuitive entry points to boost soil awareness.
3. Cultivating "Soil Orchestras": The project has established a self-sustaining network of eight multidisciplinary "Soil Orchestras" across Europe . Currently engaging 145 members, these orchestras function as social learning ecosystems, rooting scientific accuracy in creative engagement to empower local communities.
4. Empowering Grassroots Action (FSTP): SOILSCAPE launched a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) program. Demonstrating massive public interest with >400 applications , the project is funding 36 diverse sub-projects to use arts-based approaches to increase soil literacy and contribute to the SOILSCAPE festivals.
5. Tools in Progress: The first edition of the SOILSCAPE festival was successfully held in Portugal (April 2026) and France (May 2026), with festivals planned for 2027 in all 8 orchestra countries. Simultaneously, a Soil Literacy Portal is being co-designed with the JRC and DG Agri to host interactive "Soils & Arts" modules, alongside a finalized Soil Literacy Press Kit featuring 12 science-backed fact sheets to bridge the gap between soil research and public discourse .