Within the framework of Catalonia’s current Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3CAT 2030), the Government of Catalonia has supported the publication of a Service‑Learning Guide entitled  “Exploring Soil”. The objectives of the guide, which will be piloted next academic year in several secondary education centres across the region, are to understand soil and its functions, assess its condition at the local level, and empower students as agents of change.

The document was developped by several members of the LOESS Community of Practice brought together by the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP): Rosa Poch, professor at the University of Lleida (UdL) and former Chair of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Àngela Ribas, researcher at the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) and professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB); and Oriol Guinart, secondary school teacher and member of the Centre for Support to Educational Innovation and Research (CESIRE).

On 14 April, its authors presented the guide during the fourth online session of the CESIRE Connexions programme series “Sustainable Development Goals: A meaningful context for designing learning situations”. This session focused on SDG 2 Zero Hunger and SDG 13 Climate Action, exploring how soil‑related learning can contribute to these global challenges.