In Galicia, Spain, a citizen science initiative is inviting people to discover the soil beneath their feet, combining photography, digital art and education to encourage a closer connection with the environment.

Soil is essential to our everyday lives. It supports the food we grow, helps regulate water, stores carbon and sustains biodiversity. Yet, despite its importance, much of what happens beneath our feet remains unfamiliar to the wider public.

The IMAGINE-SOIL project, supported through the Horizon Europe-funded SOILSCAPE Open Call, is working to change that. In the Ulla River basin in Galicia, Spain, it is bringing together local communities, schools and researchers to explore soil health through a combination of citizen participation, science and creativity.

One photograph, five questions and a different perspective on soil

At the centre of the initiative is the IMAGINE-SOIL Challenge, running from 19 October to 30 November 2026.

The idea is simple: participants photograph the soil around them, answer five questions about their observations and contribute to a shared goal of collecting 1,000 valid contributions.

Using a free browser-based application, participants can also explore a possible future for the soil they observe. Based on their answers, the application displays an artwork selected from a collection of AI-generated visualisations illustrating different environmental scenarios.

The uploaded photographs are not processed by artificial intelligence. Instead, the technology is used as a creative communication tool, helping make complex environmental topics more accessible and encouraging people to consider how soil conditions may change.

The challenge is open to participants in the Ulla River basin and its surrounding area, with contributions made within 5 km of the basin counting towards the collective goal.

Bringing soil education into the classroom

IMAGINE-SOIL also places particular emphasis on young people.

Through interactive workshops in primary and secondary schools, students learn about the role of soil in ecosystems, the factors contributing to its degradation and the actions that can help protect it.

The sessions combine short educational activities with practical observation and exploration using the project’s application. Students are encouraged to photograph local soils, explore possible future scenarios and discuss what soil conservation means for their communities.

The project aims to reach at least 20 schools and involve 2,500 workshop participants, most of them students.

Beyond the challenge, IMAGINE-SOIL is also preparing the Imagine Your Soil festival for January 2027, bringing its creative and educational approach to a wider audience.

Supporting new ways to communicate soil health

IMAGINE-SOIL is developed by three organisations in Galicia: VOGA, responsible for communication; AMABUL, leading soil science and environmental education; and Tesla Technologies & Software, responsible for the project’s digital tools.

The initiative is one of the sub-projects supported by SOILSCAPE, a Horizon Europe project working to strengthen soil literacy by connecting science, arts, education and public participation.

Within SOILSCAPE, reframe.food leads the preparation, launch, implementation and management of its Open Call, supporting innovative communication campaigns, artistic activities and participatory approaches that encourage people to engage with soil protection.

Initiatives such as IMAGINE-SOIL illustrate the value of bringing different disciplines and communities together around environmental challenges, turning scientific knowledge into experiences people can understand and participate in.

By encouraging people to look more closely at the ground beneath them, IMAGINE-SOIL contributes to a wider ambition: making soil protection part of everyday awareness and collective responsibility.

Also on display: What the Ulla Basin Imagined

As part of its activities, IMAGINE-SOIL is presenting “What the Ulla Basin Imagined”, an exhibition showcasing nine AI-generated artworks from the project’s image bank, created around scientifically defined scenarios.

Running from 2 to 30 November 2026 at the AMABUL Environmental Education Centre in Vedra, Galicia, the exhibition offers another creative perspective on soil health, conservation and possible environmental futures.

Visitors can explore the exhibition daily from 10:00 to 14:00, while the nine artworks are also available to view online through IMAGINE-SOIL.

Explore the initiative: