Soil Atlas

Healthy soils are essential for food production, clean water, biodiversity and climate regulation. Yet across Europe, soils are under increasing pressure. Improving soil literacy – understanding how soils function and why they matter – is key to protecting this vital resource.

Within the LOESS project, 20 partner organisations from 16 European countries have co-created a wide range of educational resources aimed at teachers, students and the wider public. These materials support learning about soils in schools, universities, vocational education and community contexts.

To make these resources easy to find and use, they are brought together in the LOESS Soil Atlas – an accessible guide that presents the full collection in one place.

The educational resources developed through LOESS include

• Learning scenarios: classroom-ready lesson plans featuring hands-on investigations for soil exploration (available in 13 languages).
• A glossary explaining key soil-related terms (9 languages)
• A crowdmapping tool for collecting and sharing local soil data (14 languages)
• AR App: An interactive augmented reality application visualising soil organisms and processes
• A MOOC on Soil Education – online course for teachers and educators with an integrated STEM approach
• Higher education modules- including a Training Module for students, University Course for Biology and Environmental Teacher Education, Online CERL Module for Lecturers, and a Workshop on turning soil problems into research questions.
• Blueprint for integrating soil health education into teaching
• Case studies across Europe featuring real examples of how schools, universities, communities, farms and NGOs teach and engage with soil health.

Together, these resources support soil learning at different educational levels – from primary and secondary education to higher education, vocational training and public engagement. They can be used to develop lesson plans, integrate soil literacy into STEM education, support community-based research, or inspire citizens interested in soil health.

The LOESS Soil Atlas serves as a guide to this growing collection, helping users navigate and access the materials that best match their needs.