CURIOSOIL (Awakening Soil Curiosity to catalyse Soil Literacy) is a four-year project, starting on 1stFebruary 2024, coordinated by the Universidade de Aveiro – UAveiro (PT) which addresses the topic HORIZON-MISS-2022-SOIL-01-07 Foster soil education across society with the overarching objective of understanding how to trigger Soil Curiosity and create connections between people and soil. This will be achieved through the development of a “Soil Curiosity Kit” using multisensorial Soil Experiences to raise soil literacy and building a Soil Optimism narrative, and through the co-creation of a set of educational products, course materials, and teacher’s training programmes to be delivered during the project. All these resources will be co-created with teachers and Communities of Practice (CoPs) and will be used voluntarily outside the state curricula (unless otherwise adopted by specific Member States). The co-design of multisensorial Soil Experiences and related educational products will be leveraged to promote student and citizen engagement in the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe” as well as other EU, national, and international soil health initiatives and will be relevant to incentivise behavioural change towards an increased perception of soil value and of its sustainable use. The CURIOSOIL ambition is to contribute to the Soil Mission Specific Objective 8 to improve soil literacy in society and in particular the target to embed soil health in schools and educational curricula of all EU Member States by 2030 as well as to contribute to citizen, policy and practice increased knowledge and awareness to consider and manage soil health for a more sustainable and climate smart future.
