“There is no soil data, nor is any monitoring done, so scientists will gather chemical, physical, and biological data to have a starting point on soil health, which is very important for climate resilience, water retention capacity, or biodiversity,” explained the researcher responsible for the project, Georgete Félix.
The “Humus – Healthy Municipal Soils” project was funded with 30,000 euros by the European Horizon program, which aims to implement the Europe Soil Mission at regional and local levels through the installation of a hundred living laboratories.
This is the only pilot project approved for Portugal in this context. Twenty projects were selected from 65 eligible applications at the European level.
For one year, the research will focus on studying the agricultural and viticultural soils of the São Mamede da Ventosa parish and their socio-economic importance.
Activities will be developed, such as surveys of farmers to assess soil literacy, uses, and agricultural practices.
Promoting this literacy, strengthening the knowledge base for soil management, and creating innovative local-based projects to improve soil health are some of the objectives of the Soil Mission.
The study is expected to end in June 2025, at which time its expansion to the entire municipality in the Lisbon district will be evaluated.
“One of the future projects is to have a soil observatory,” said the sustainability specialist.
The project has an interdisciplinary team and scientific monitoring committee, crossing various areas of knowledge, with a view to sustainable soil management in the municipality.
