Healthy Municipal Soils

Project Information

HuMUS

Grant agreement ID: 101091050

DOI

10.3030/101091050

Project closed

EC signature date 7 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 3 276 679,50

EU contribution

€ 3 276 679,50

Coordinated by

ANCI TOSCANA ASSOCIAZIONE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HuMUS (Healthy Municipal Soils)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ (Soil Mission) aims to lead the transition to healthy soils via sustainable soil management. This requires knowledge and awareness of the importance and value of soil health and its challenges and drivers across Europe. Engaging and activating municipalities and regions across Europe to protect and restore soil health is vital for a successful Soil Mission deployment. The creation of spaces for dialogue with Quadruple Helix stakeholders, including marginalized and/or vulnerable strata of the population, on soil health and land management issues may contribute to develop a shared understanding of the challenges and help co-create solutions for the protection and restoration of soil.
Within this context, HuMUS main aim is to facilitate the deployment of the Soil Mission across regions and municipalities, through:
(i) the creation and experimentation of spaces for social dialogue on soil health among public and private actors in Europe;
(ii) the promotion of a shared understanding and co-assessment exercises of soil challenges (biophysical and socio-economic dimensions); and
(iii) the enhancement of knowledge sharing among municipalities and regions, including on the needed transformations in current S4 (Sustainable Smart Specialisation) strategies and the use of available EU funds to support the transition.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project held its kick-off meeting in January 2023 for an expected duration of three years.
The consortium is coordinated by ANCI Toscana - the association of Tuscan municipalities - and is composed of regional bodies and agencies, universities and research centres with experience in participatory approaches and multi-stakeholder associations with large coverage of EU, regional and municipal governance layers.
Key aspects of HuMUS include:
- Supporting the involvement of stakeholders and citizens in the decision-making processes via case studies, educational and capacity building activities as well as exchanges of best practices at regional and local levels;
- Contributing to raising the problem awareness of regional and local governments, businesses and society at large by the Bio-districts multi-stakeholder approach;
- Encouraging social innovation and the implementation of a trans-disciplinary vision;
- Empowering Regions and municipalities to reflect, deliberate and propose appropriate and realistic solutions together with citizens and stakeholders through a participatory governance method and toolset.
13 Regional Soil Health Communities will be established in the partner countries until end of the year. Additional 20 of them will be financed through and Open Call endowed with a budget of 600,000 Euros, which will also published until end 2023.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

HuMUS will support the involvement of stakeholders and citizens in the decision-making processes via case studies, educational and capacity building activities as well as exchanges of best practices at regional and local levels.
The project will further contribute to raising the problem awareness of regional and local governments, businesses and society at large through the use of the Bio-districts multi-stakeholder methodology, whereby well-informed local production and consumption patterns are planned in a coordinated way by all actors of the supply chain.
HuMUS will particularly encourage social innovation and the implementation of a trans-disciplinary approach. At each partner territory, as well as in the new ones selected via the Open Call, regional and local governments will be closely associated from an early stage in order to develop effective participatory processes, and stimulate extensive dialogues on soil health. Regions and municipalities will therefore be empowered to reflect, deliberate and propose appropriate and realistic solutions for soil quality improvement together with citizens and stakeholders.

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