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WORKSHOP: Citizen Science Generated Data for a Better Policy- and Decision-making: Insights from the ECHO Project

16 November 2026, Dublin, Ireland
TEAGASC ASHTOWN FOOD RESEARCH CENTRE

(The day before the start of the European Mission Soil Week 2026)

The citizen science approach has the potential to offer a pivotal contribution to a range of relevant aspects related to soil health. This includes literacy, engagement, awareness, but a less considered aspect concerns the potential of information based on citizen science to support decisions and policy design. Limited resources, e.g. money and time and the non-evident benefits connected to better information hamper the design of evidence-based policies.

In this workshop we will discuss the contribution of ECHO in this regard. In the specific, we will present potential end-users of Citizen Generated Data on soil health, also focusing on the employment of such an information and recognized usefulness. We will also discuss the cost of collecting data through this citizen science approach, also addressing the value of this information when referring to an improved decision- and policy-making process. These insights will be all discussed in relation with the current EU policy context.

Mission Soil projects invited! 

Tentative Programme

14:00 – 14:10

Welcome and overview of the ECHO project — Tanja Mimmo, UNIBZ

14:10 – 14:30

End users and potential uses of citizen science data (15-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A) — Hannes Pasanen (UEF)

14:30 – 14:50

Costs and efforts involved in collecting citizen science data: the ECHO approach to the economic evaluation of information (15-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A) — Stefano Targetti (UNIBO)

14:50 – 15:10

Can citizen science support EU soil policy cycle? (15-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A) — Arwyn Jones (JRC)

15:10 – 15:40

Coffee break

15:40 – 16:00

PSOILICY (15-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A) — Marion Bardy (INRAE)

16:00 – 16:20

LOESS (15-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A) — Saurabh Singh (TU Dublin)

16:20 – 17:00

Round-table discussion and closing remarks — All participants

Attend our Workshop

Citizen Science Generated Data for a Better Policy and Decision Making: Insights from the ECHO Project

16 November 2026, Dublin, Ireland
Tentative programme already available