European Rural Development Network

☘️We had the opportunity to take part in a study visit to the Nowalijka biogas plant. It is an inspiring example of the practical implementation of the principles of a circular bioeconomy through the integration of agriculture, food supply chains, renewable energy production, and nutrient recycling.

The facility processes organic waste from vegetable production and food distribution, converting it into biogas, renewable energy, and digestate reused in agriculture. This model demonstrates how local biomass streams can support:
🌱 reducing food loss and organic waste,
🌱 reducing methane emissions,
🌱 producing renewable energy,
🌱 and closing the nutrient cycle in rural areas.

Discussions regarding the role of biomethane in the energy transition, the integration of agriculture into low-carbon value chains, and the significance of biogas in the context of future climate regulations and the ETS system were particularly interesting.

A key part of the visit was a presentation of the innovative Polish technological solutions used in the plant. The biogas plant was commissioned without the use of manure, which is a rare solution in the European biogas sector. The hydrolyzer used acts as a biotechnological accelerator, shortening the fermentation process from several dozen to just over a dozen days and increasing the plant’s flexibility with regard to various organic substrates. The plant also achieves a very high capacity utilization rate, reaching approximately 97% of the maximum output achievable by a cogeneration unit operating at full capacity throughout the year.

The visit took place with the participation of Małgorzata Żochowska representing "Race For The Baltic", which underscored the importance of biogas plants and the circular economy in reducing nutrient losses from agriculture and alleviating eutrophication pressure on the Baltic Sea.

The example of Nowalijka demonstrates the potential of biogas plants as local hubs integrating agricultural production, processing, trade, and the circular economy within the framework of a modern bioeconomy.

Therbn EU Project

🌱 Startujemy z naborem do Crash Course w SoilTribes! Szukamy 20 osób, które zmienią sposób, w jaki mówimy o glebie.

👉Kogo szukamy?
• Młodych naukowców gleby (do 35 lat) – agronomia, gleboznawstwo, biologia gleby, ochrona środowiska i pokrewne kierunki 🌿
• Młodych twórców mediów (do 35 lat) – dziennikarzy, podcasterów, content creatorów, marketerów, specjalistów od nowych mediów 🎥

Razem przejdziecie 40-godzinny kurs online (październik–grudzień 2026), w parach naukowiec + media. Nauczycie się od siebie nawzajem i stworzycie praktyczny materiał: krótki film lub podcast + social postcard.

🏆Najlepsze pary otrzymają po 2500 € na wyjazd na finałową ceremonię i festiwal SoilTribes w Europie (luty–maj 2027).

👉Dlaczego robimy ten projekt? Stan gleby wpływa na bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe, klimat i przyszłość nas wszystkich. Niestety rzetelna wiedza naukowa rzadko dociera do społeczeństwa w przystępnej formie. Program Crash Course w projekcie SoilTribes ma to zmienić – budujemy most między laboratoriami a opinią publiczną.

Zostań Ambasadorem Gleby i realnie wpłyń na to, jak dbamy o glebę!
Zgłoś się → https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/CrashCourseSolitribesPolandERDN

Nabór trwa do 31 maja 2026
Więcej informacji: https://erdn.eu/call-for-applications-soiltribes-become-a-soil-ambassador-international-crash-course-competition-for-young-soil-scientists-and-media-professionals/

***
🌱 We are launching the call for applications for the SoilTribes Crash Course!
We are looking for 20 people who will change the way we talk about soil.

👉 Who are we looking for?
• Young soil scientists (under 35) – from fields such as agronomy, pedology, soil biology, environmental protection and related disciplines 🌿
• Young media professionals (under 35) – journalists, podcasters, content creators, marketers and new media specialists 🎥

Together you will take part in a 40-hour online course (October–December 2026), working in pairs: scientist + media expert. You will learn from each other and create real communication materials: a short video or podcast + a social postcard.

🏆 The winning pairs will receive €2,500 each to cover travel, accommodation and meals for the final award ceremony and the SoilTribes Festival across Europe (February–May 2027).

👉 Why are we running this project?
The condition of soil directly affects food security, climate stability and our common future. Unfortunately, reliable scientific knowledge rarely reaches the public in an accessible form. The SoilTribes Crash Course aims to change that – we are building a bridge between laboratories and public awareness.

Become a Soil Ambassador and make a real impact on how we care for the soil!
Apply here → https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/CrashCourseSolitribesPolandERDN

The call is open until 31 May 2026

More info: https://erdn.eu/call-for-applications-soiltribes-become-a-soil-ambassador-international-crash-course-competition-for-young-soil-scientists-and-media-professionals/

🎨 We warmly encourage you to like the project page Relict Soil - Expedition and Exhibition on social media (Facebook/Instagram) under SoilScape Project ☘️

🚲 Artists Sylwester Stabryła and Piotr Dawid Woroniec will be taking us on a year-long journey across different parts of Poland, engaging in creative, painting-based activities inspired by soil. It’s definitely worth following their work - this promises to be a truly fascinating expedition!

is one of the three winning projects of the Open Call "SoilScape Polish Soil Orchestra FSTP" with the finale taking place at the Soil Festival in June 2027 in the Mazovia region.

Polska Orkiestra Glebowa - Soilscape

SoilScape Festival 2026: A Journey Beneath the Surface! 🇵🇹

What an incredible few days in Porto! Between April 24 and 25, the ERDN team dived deep into the world of soil at the BioBlitz Festival organized by Serralves Foundation and the SoilScape activities during the festival. We also had the opportunity to see the traveling exhibition Soil Art Tales as part of the sister project .

Our Top Highlights:
🔹️ Harmonizing for a Cause: We kicked off the meeting with a musical session, where singing and dancing with Tingsha bells turned a group of colleagues into a motivated team dedicated to Mother Earth 🌏🎶

🔹️ Sensory Science: During the BioBlitz 2026 festival, we took part and experienced the extraordinary Cactophonie Workestra - a concert performed entirely on cacti conducted by the Portuguese artist João Ricardo de Barros Oliveira! We also joined Nikki Lindt for a soundwalk, where we "drew" the vibrations of sap flowing through trees and the hidden sounds of life near subterranean streams 🌵🌳🌊

🔹️ Innovation in Outreach: We explored the winning Open Call projects from Portugal and Germany, which presented creative models for soil education through theater, street performances, and youth-centric workshops ☘️

🔹️ Exploring the 18-Hectare Oasis: We spent hours traversing the stunning Serralves Park. Guided by Patrick Joel Pais, we explored rose gardens, aromatic herb paths, and the iconic treetop walk, learning about the rich biodiversity that depends on healthy soil 💻

🔹️ The Future of Education: Visiting workshop stands designed for children, we saw how interactive displays and eco-games from the French Hackathon are making soil science accessible and fun 👏

We leave Porto feeling inspired and connected. A huge "Obrigado" to the Portuguese team for the warm welcome and for showing us that we are not alone in our mission to bring health back to the land.

Polska Orkiestra Glebowa - Soilscape

🌍 Earth Day in action – Mazovia Living Space 🌱

Yesterday, as part of the study visit, we had the pleasure of participating in a truly inspiring day full of meetings, discussions, and knowledge exchange.

Together with our partners, we visited key locations within the Mazovia Living Space – from the green campus of SGGW / Warsaw University of Life Sciences through the Municipality of Michałowice (Gmina Michałowice), to Warsaw and Wilanów. Each stop highlighted the diversity and complexity of land management challenges in a rapidly transforming region.

📍 A particularly important visit took place in Michałowice – a municipality actively working towards soil and environmental protection. We discussed:
• Zielony Pierścień Warszawy / One Ring Warsaw concept
• and SoilScape Project
• practical solutions such as CO₂ analysers
• visit to the ecological kindergarten in Reguly

💡 What stood out most was the innovative approach to communicating the importance of soil – including through art, education, and community engagement.

This day clearly showed how essential it is to connect science, policy, and local action to build a more sustainable future 🌿

A big thank you to all partners and participants for the inspiring exchanges and great atmosphere!

Huge thanks go to the Małgorzata Pachecka - wójt gminy Michałowice for the great hospitality in Michałowice and prof. Mariusz Maciejczak (SGGW) for the wonderful organization 💚