The cycle of panel discussions on “Rethinking the training of future soil health professionals”, organized by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) as part of the European LOESS project and its Community of Practice (CoP) activities in Catalonia, concluded successfully. Hosted at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the event featured a diverse range of speakers, including academics from universities and research centres, as well as professionals from public administration, business, and civil society organizations, highlighting the event’s interdisciplinary approach.

Key topics and discussions

Held throughout March 2025, the cycle focused on essential aspects of soil health and management. The discussions included:

• Panel 1: “Estimation and measurement of soil water erosion” (March 3)
  Speakers: Marcel Hürlimann, Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTECH, and Ona Torra, PhD candidate at the same department; Montserrat Solanelles, Forestry Engineer at the Project Office of Forestal Catalana, and Miguel Ángel Sobrino, Head of the Forests and Forestry Resources Section at the Territorial Services in Central Catalonia, both from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia.
• Panel 2: “Fertilization management: How are fertilization and manuring plans developed?” (March 20)
  Speakers: Gemma Murillo, Technician at the Fertilization and Livestock Manure Treatment Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia; Roser Costa, Member at the Technical Area of Unió de Pagesos; and Josep Ramon Sainz de la Maza, Founding Partner of GeaOrgànica.

   

• Panel 3: “Assessment of soil suitability for different uses: Agronomic capacity classes and their relationship with territorial land use planning” (March 27)
  Speakers: Jaume Boixadera, Coordinator of the Soil Section at the Catalan Institution of Agricultural Studies (ICEA); Andrea Vidal, Soil Technician at the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) and Professor at the Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); and Helena Perxacs, Manager of the Baix Llobregat Agricultural Park Consortium.
  
  

Each session was moderated by Sara Marañón, Professor at the Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Researcher at the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF). 

The sessions were open to the public and streamed online, ensuring accessibility to a broader audience. The recorded panel discussions are now available on YouTube.

Workshops and next steps

Following the panel discussions, a series of interactive workshops took place to further explore the topics discussed. Driven by Víctor López, Professor at the Department of Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), these workshops involved university students enrolled in the Soil Protection course of the fourth year of Environmental Biology at UAB. The students worked on designing a competency and skills map for future soil health professionals, based on the content from the panels. This map will later serve as the foundation for co-creating a training module, involving students from various countries participating in the LOESS project.

In addition to the panel discussions, workshops, and international meetings, students will also contribute to the production of an episode for a podcast. All of these activities are part of Task 3.3.3 of the LOESS project, titled “Development of training modules for students by students”.