SOB4ES organises Workshop on Integrating Soil Biodiversity into Farming Practices in Cambre, Spain
On September 13th, 2025, the SOB4ES project hosted a workshop on integrating soil biodiversity into farming practices in Cambre, Spain. The event took place at the organic farm Os Biosbardos in Cambre, Galicia (Spain), coinciding with Leira Fest, a public festival marking the end of the summer season. The approximately 50 workshop participants included farmers, plant nursery managers, landowners, consumers, and representatives from local administrations.
Structure of the Event
The event was titled: “Integrating Soil Biodiversity into Farming Practices: Soil Biodiversity for Healthy Soils & Better Farming” and consisted of an opening presentation by Victor Boga (Millo e Landras) which was followed by a project presentation by Julia Köninger and a presentation of the Booster Tool for Soil monitoring by Javier Rodeiro (both University of Vigo). In an open debate participants discussed their experiences and views on integrating biodiversity and farming.
Key Insights from the Debate
A survey was completed by 20 participants and revealed that the workshop successfully raised awareness about soil health and the role of biodiversity in supporting ecosystem services, identified knowledge gaps—in particular, the public’s limited understanding of ecosystem services provided by healthy soils - and encouraged inclusive dialogue between participants and the project. The discussion further clarified the need for more outreach events to address the lack of awareness of soil-based ecosystem services. While attendees were generally familiar with concepts like biodiversity and sustainability, their understanding of soil functions and soil food webs can be improved.
The debate on the use of soil monitoring tools provided same key insights. Participants raised several reflections on current challenges and needs:
- Existing tools for assessing soil status are not user-friendly and often demand data that farmers lack the means to collect (tool, knowledge, resource restriction).
- Farmers miss having a community platform to share techniques, experiences, and outcomes.
- Soil conditions vary too widely for a single tool to provide accurate results without considering environmental, climatic, and land-use factors.
- Diagnostic capability is crucial: a tool should not only indicate soil health status but also suggest suitable practices tailored to local conditions.
- Visual descriptions, land-use information, and location should be incorporated into assessments.
- Feedback loops are valuable: users should be able to track changes after applying practices and compare expected vs. actual outcomes.
- A one-size-fits-all tool is unlikely to work; a menu of practices and options would be more useful than prescriptive recommendations.
- Farmers trust practices they can see applied by peers; peer-to-peer exchange is key for adoption.
- Both professional farmers and hobby gardeners enjoy testing and sharing experiences in a collaborative way.
Based on the feedback, the SOB4ES partners were able to draw up some suggestions for future events. Namely, questionnaires should be tailored to different participant profiles. For instance, non-farmers should be redirected to a more general set of questions to avoid discouragement. Additionally, some questions would benefit from pre-set multiple-choice options, making responses easier and more consistent. In conclusion, events like this are essential to:
- Bring soil biodiversity and ecosystem services closer to the public.
- Collect input from diverse stakeholders in soil management.
- Co-create practical solutions that are both scientifically grounded and relevant to everyday farming practices.
