The HuMUS Open Call seeks 20 innovative pilot projects that will serve as models for effective soil health governance. These projects will create spaces for constructive dialogue among farmers, entrepreneurs, consumer associations, NGOs, soil experts, researchers, academics, government officials, and the general public, fostering a collaborative approach to tackling soil health issues.
Fostering Participatory Governance for Healthy Soil
HuMUS stands for Healthy Municipal Soils. It's an EU-funded initiative that aims to translate the ambitious goals of the EU Soil Mission into tangible action at the regional and local levels. The project emphasises a Quadruple Helix approach, bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders to tackle this critical challenge.
Key Points of the Call
Humus offers €600,000 in funding to support these pilot projects, with each project receiving a maximum of €30,000.
These projects must involve a Quadruple Helix approach, bringing together a minimum of 300 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds including farmers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, researchers, and the general public. To be eligible, proposals must outline a plan to create spaces for constructive dialogue on soil health challenges within their communities.
The application deadline has been extended to April 5, 2024.
The full text of the open call is available here.
Key outputs and ambitions
Selected projects will not only receive financial backing but also benefit from technical expertise from the HuMUS consortium, including potential participation in a training program focused on the HuMUS methodology.
Success for these pilot projects will be measured through two key outputs. First, the HuMUS project expects to see 13 Territorial Management Agreements signed within partner communities. Second, each pilot project must deliver evidence demonstrating their successful implementation of either the HuMUS methodology or a comparable approach to participatory soil health governance.
An online Info day on the HuMUS Call for Proposals took place on 7 March 2024 hosted by ANCI Toscana. The registration of the session is available here.