Soils in Society: Digging into Narratives and Perceptions for a Deeper Understanding

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” These words by forestry engineer Baba Dioum in 1968 reflect, how the relationship between people and forests has intensified over recent decades, a development that has significantly contributed to forest conservation. Unlike trees, esthetical and vital soils are rarely exposed for people to see, understand, or appreciate, making it harder to foster a connection to them.

The EU project SOILSCAPE (Spreading Open and Inclusive Literacy and Soil Culture through Artistic Practices and Education) aims to bring soils closer to the public. Alongside modern communication methods, the project places a strong emphasis on artistic approaches to promote awareness, understanding, and love for soils in their context.

In a first step towards this goal, current narratives were analyzed through a media study that examined coverage in newspapers, television, podcasts, and social networks. Thereby, the guiding questions were: What knowledge and opinions are there? Which imaginations and associations regarding soils do we find in society - and of whom? For exploring these questions, we conducted a survey using a verbal and visual questionnaire and follow-up expert interviews. Our analysis aimed at assessing dominant soil narratives and their potential impacts, and at preparing effective strategies to strengthen connections between people and soils, including cultural and artistic approaches. Thereby, we addressed societal narratives, imaginaries, and values related to soils, particularly focusing their perception and communication. The media research, questionnaire-based survey, and expert interviews were conducted in eight European countries: Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland. The study yielded almost 100 datasets from the media analysis, 435 complete responses from the visual-based questionnaire, and 24 expert interviews, providing a robust foundation for understanding how soils are perceived and how soil awareness in the European public can be more effectively enhanced.

Our results from the media research show that soils are mostly not in the focus of media, but rather treated as functional elements in discussions related to agriculture, climate change, and urbanization. People tend to perceive soils indirectly, through their use and significance in these broader contexts. Perception of soils varies widely depending on region and prior knowledge. Around 40% of participants felt that soils in their region are in poor condition, while another 40% were unsure. Primary threats to soil that were named by people included agriculture, forestry, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

These outcomes of this study point to a gap between implicit and explicit awareness of soil-related challenges. While artistic and educational approaches seem most promising in bridging this gap, the results of our study highlight the urgent need for targeted communication strategies to raise the awareness of soils and make them a topic of societal concern. Only by fostering a deeper public understanding, a stronger connection to and protection of this critical resource can be achieved.