By RFF
Across Europe, urban agriculture is redefining how we relate to food, cities, and nature. At the heart of FOODCITYBOOST lies a mission to create inclusive, sustainable, and innovative approaches to growing food in urban and peri-urban environments. But beneath every rooftop garden or vertical farm is a resource we cannot afford to overlook: soil. As we work toward climate resilience, food security, and social inclusion, soil health, and soil awareness, are emerging as pivotal themes. In this light, we’re excited to highlight an initiative that complements FOODCITYBOOST’s vision in creative and meaningful ways: SOILSCAPE.
What is SOILSCAPE?
SOILSCAPE is a 4-year Horizon Europe project coordinated by the French Soil Science Society (AFES). Its primary aim is to promote soil literacy across Europe using art, creativity, and participatory outreach. Recognising that soil is not only a scientific concern but a cultural and civic one, SOILSCAPE blends science with storytelling, performance, and visual expression. This aligns closely with FOODCITYBOOST’s principles of co-creation, community-led innovation, and open unique collaborative pathways.
SOILSCAPE Open Call
One of SOILSCAPE’s standout mechanisms is its €2.01 million Open Call, alternatively known as cascade funding, which supports artistic and creative sub-projects designed to raise awareness of soil’s importance. The call provides Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) through two major tracks:
1. SOILSCAPE FSTP (€ 1,05 million): dedicated to the funding of 12 sub-projects (local, national, and transnational) across three action strands:
• Communication campaigns
• Artistic-soil activities
• Participatory methods for citizen engagement
2. Soil Orchestra FSTP (€ 960,000): Funding 24 smaller sub-projects embedded in national “Soil Orchestras” across eight countries, supporting performances, visual art, video games, workshops, and festivals. Each Soil Orchestra will serve as a creative hub to engage communities through events and exhibitions, directly contributing to public understanding of soil’s role in climate adaptation, agriculture, and daily life.
Our common values and goals
FOODCITYBOOST stakeholders, especially artists, community organisers, and Living Lab participants, can tap into SOILSCAPE’s Open Call to expand their impact through interdisciplinary and EU-supported creative actions. This intersection between SOILSCAPE and FOODCITYBOOST is deeply rooted in the principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), a transformative movement that calls for the fusion of sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics in shaping future living spaces. Both projects exemplify NEB values by merging environmental awareness with creativity and participatory action. Where FOODCITYBOOST fosters inclusive urban agriculture through living labs and co-designed systems, SOILSCAPE extends this spirit into the cultural realm, engaging citizens emotionally and imaginatively with the landscapes beneath their feet. Both initiatives illustrate how science, policy, and art can coalesce to reimagine Europe’s urban and rural environments as regenerative, resilient, and beautiful places to live.
Discover SOILSCAPE:
