Soil Together: empowering farmers to restore life below ground

Mediterranean farming communities face urgent challenges: soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and rural decline. Soil Together empowers farmers as land stewards through a community-led advisory model and participatory workshops, promoting sustainable practices that restore soils, improve yields, and support local economies. By linking local action with EU strategies such as the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork, it positions farmers as key drivers of ecological and economic regeneration.

Soil Together addresses the interconnected challenges of soil degradation, biodiversity decline, and rural economic pressure in Mediterranean regions such as Cádiz. The initiative combines two approaches: a scalable advisory model that provides farmers with practical guidance on regenerative soil management, and participatory workshops that integrate scientific knowledge with traditional practices. By fostering collaboration among farmers, scientists, and local actors, the project builds a network of soil stewards capable of restoring ecosystem health while enhancing crop quality and farm income. Rooted in EU strategies such as the Green Deal and Farm to Fork, Soil Together demonstrates how community driven action can regenerate soils, biodiversity, and rural life.

Regenerative Transitions

Soil Together directly advances Soil Democracy by placing farmers and rural communities at the heart of decision-making. Through participatory workshops and co-created solutions, those most affected by soil degradation shape strategies for regeneration. It also promotes Commons Stewardship by treating soil as a shared living system. By building farmer networks and encouraging collaborative management practices, the project fosters collective responsibility for soil health and biodiversity, ensuring long-term care of this vital common resource.

Reduce soil pollution / enhance restoration

Conserve soil organic carbon

Reduce desertification

Enhance soil biodiversity

Roots (deep structural transformation)

Awareness-raising / communications

Creative or cultural events

Capacity-building (training, guides, mentorship)

Policy or advocacy initiatives

Participatory processes

The challenge is based in Cádiz province, Andalusia (southern Spain), a Mediterranean farming region facing severe soil degradation and rural decline.

Public Sector

Academia, Education & Research

Civil Society

Soil Together engages with and supports several key policy frameworks at multiple levels. At the EU level, it aligns with the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, and the upcoming Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, promoting regenerative practices and biodiversity restoration. At the national and regional levels, the project aligns with Spain’s National Soil Protection Strategy and Andalusia’s Regional Rural Development Plan, contributing to their objectives of sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, and rural revitalization.

Participating in the Bootcamp will help us refine and scale Soil Together, learning from other initiatives about community engagement and regenerative soil practices. We aim to build stronger collaborations, strategies, and policy connections to expand our impact. In return, we bring practical experience working with farmers and tools for participatory workshops. By sharing our approach, we hope to inspire and support community-led soil stewardship in other regions.