Soil Stewards
HuMUS developed a training programme to build the capacity of Soil Stewards who facilitate regional and municipal dialogues on soil health. As an important aspect of the HuMUS project, non-specialist actors are integrated and engaged in the dialogues and decision-making processes.
Soil Stewards will support and facilitate these processes and create a positive relationship between stakeholders, helping to bridge gaps and fostering target-oriented and region-specific discussions to improve soil health. They will also help create Territorial Management Agreements and raise awareness with local governmental actors and the public on soil health issues.
The Soil Steward Training Course is developed based on a review of regional policies and soil assessment methods to discern best practices on social dialogues for soil health.
At its core, a “steward” is a person supervising or guarding something. The key objective of this training course is to provide knowledge and tools to civil servants and anyone contributing to soil health—at regional and/or municipal levels—and enable them to become a Soil Steward. A person that carefully, responsibly, and voluntarily contributes to spreading their knowledge and experience regarding soil health. Simultaneously, they serve as an advocate for raising awareness about soil health and care within the local or regional community.
Training materials are available on the website under Resources.
Check back here to learn about Soil Stewards and their work!