Project Snapshot
ECHO Soil (06/2023–05/2027) is a Horizon Europe project that improves soil health by bringing citizens into the system in a structured way—through awareness, learning, participation, data generation and informed dialogue. It is built on three pillars: engaging citizens, equipping them with knowledge for an active role in data collection, and strengthening participation in decisions related to soil.
ECHO generates new EU soil-health data at scale, complementing existing monitoring and mapping in Member States and connecting with the EU Soil Observatory. The project operates through 28 citizen-science initiatives across 16,500 locations, spanning land uses, soil types and biogeographic regions. Alongside sampling, it provides accessible learning materials and tasks designed for farmers, teachers, land managers and other stakeholders who want to use the knowledge and participate.
Kick-off Meeting & Implementation Design
The kick-off meeting brought the consortium together to align on delivery across countries and establish a common approach to citizen engagement, implementation and quality assurance. Given the project’s scale and diversity of contexts, early coordination was essential to ensure that participation pathways would be consistent while still adapting to local realities.
This meeting anchored the practical model behind ECHO: how citizens join, how Soil Ambassadors support participation, how data and learning materials are produced and validated, and how results can be communicated back to communities and decision-makers in a meaningful way.
Tools, Data Pathways & Early Delivery
By the end of 2025, ECHO had built the participation infrastructure needed for large-scale citizen science. The project developed its visual identity and a full set of dissemination materials, launched a website and newsletter, and delivered outreach sessions across countries focusing both on soil health and on the role citizens can play as agents of change. A specific effort was made to mobilise schools and universities, connecting soil literacy with education and youth engagement.
The ECHOsoil app was developed to support interaction with the ECHO community. The Soil Ambassadors and citizen scientists became operational, taking part not only in sampling but also in interpreting data, discussing related topics, providing feedback on materials, and running local sessions. In Portugal, sampling was largely completed; in France, mobilisation was initiated and the rollout was planned to progress during the first half of 2026. The project also created ECHOREPO and began publishing the first results from collected soil samples.
Some of our Partners:
