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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

(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.

Tentative Programme

14:00 – 14:15

ECHO: Project Overview

UNIBZ

14:15 – 14:30

End-users and end-uses, the potential of citizen science data

UEF

14:30 – 14:45

Cost and effort of collecting citizen science data

UNIBO

14:45 – 15:00

Economic evaluation of information: the ECHO approach

UNIBO

15:00 – 15:15

Policy implications

UNIBO

15:15 – 15:30

Coffee break

15:30 – 15:45

Sister project intervention

tbd

15:45 – 16:00

JRC intervention

JRC

16:00- 16:30

JRC intervention

all