The EU mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' (Soil Mission) aims to drive the transition to healthy soils through sustainable soil management. This requires knowledge and awareness of the importance and value of soil health and its challenges and drivers across Europe. Involving and activating municipalities and regions across Europe to protect and restore soil health is vital for the success of the soil mission.

Creating spaces for dialogue with Quadruple Helix stakeholders, including marginalised and/or vulnerable segments of the population, on soil health and land management issues can help develop a shared understanding of the challenges and help co-create solutions for soil protection and restoration. In this context, the main objective of HuMUS is to promote the European Soil Mission among regions and municipalities through: (i) creating and piloting spaces for social dialogue on soil health between public and private actors in Europe; (ii) promoting shared understanding and co-assessment exercises of soil challenges (biophysical and socio-economic dimensions); and (iii) improving knowledge sharing between municipalities and regions, including on the transformations needed in current S4 (Sustainable Smart Specialisation) strategies and on the use of available EU funds to support the transition.

HuMUS will support the involvement of stakeholders and citizens in decision-making processes through case studies, educational activities as well as exchanges of good practices at regional and local level. HuMUS will also help raise awareness of the issue among regional and local governments, businesses and society at large through the use of the multi-stakeholder Bio-districts methodology, whereby production and consumption patterns are planned in a coordinated way by all actors in the supply chain.

HuMUS will particularly encourage social innovation and the implementation of a transdisciplinary approach. In each project partner territory, regional and local governments will be involved from the beginning in order to develop effective participatory processes and stimulate broad dialogues on soil health. Regions and municipalities will be empowered to reflect, deliberate and propose appropriate and realistic solutions together with citizens and stakeholders.

HuMUS will create and manage opportunities for collaboration and spaces for dialogue between citizens and other stakeholders (e.g. farmers) and public authorities to mutually benefit from the discussions in HuMUS as well as from the latest developments and results of European projects and networks. HuMUS will also support public authorities at local/regional level and grassroots associations.

HuMUS will also contribute to increasing information sharing between municipalities and regions, through methods, tools and approaches already available for social engagement and knowledge enhancement. The consortium consists of universities and research centres with expertise in participatory approaches and multi-stakeholder associations with a broad coverage of EU, regional and municipal levels of governance.

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