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Why soils matters
- A european perspective
Sharing how culture and agriculture
are closely connected’
Proceedings of the Conference
Damiano di Simine and
Tiziano Cattaneo,
Project coordinators, People 4 Soil.
Damiano di Simine and Tiziano
Cattaneo presented
People4Soil,
a coalition of NGOs, research
institutes, farmers associations and
environmental groups, that launched
a European campaign aimed at
introducing specific legislation for soil
protection. People4Soil considers that
existing EU policies in other areas are
not sufficient to ensure an adequate
level of protection for all soils in
Europe. In 2016, they will launch
a petition, to be promoted by EU
citizens, asking for specific legislation
on soil.
European citizens have the right to
recommend EU legislation via the
European Citizens’ Initiative; a petition
signed by a minimum of one million
people. Through this European
Citizens’ Initiative, People4Soil expects
to relaunch efforts towards an EU
regulation on soil, after the withdrawal
of the Commission’s proposal in 2014.
Damiano di Simine explains that such
a regulation should recognize soil as a
common good, essential for our lives.
People4Soil wants the EU to take up
the sustainable management of soils
as a primary commitment.
Miche Fabre Lewin and
Flora Gathorne-Hardy
Miche Fabre Lewin and Flora
Gathorne-Hardy from Touchstone
collaborations presented the project
‘Soil Culture at create - A recipe for
soil guardianship’. Miche and Flora are
ecological artists dedicated to
re-connecting culture
and agriculture through food, soil and
ritual practices. They were invited to
co-curate Soil Culture at Create, which
took place in Bristol throughout July
and August 2015, in celebration both
of the UN International Year of Soils
and of Bristol’s year as European
Green Capital.
At the conference, Miche and Flora
shared the story of Soil Culture at
Create with an inspiring movie. Miche
and Flora’s practice is rooted within an
ethic and aesthetic of collaboration.
Thanks to the soil shrine, made of local
soil, which they created and installed
for the conference, they illustrated the
connection between our soil and
our souls
. Alongside a description
of their project, this convivial
environment invited
the senses,
imagination, intuition and memory,
and empowers us to act
at our scale,
to protect and save our soils.
We want Europe to recognise soil
as a common good.’
Damiano di Simine