Soil Education through Tourism Infrastructure (SETTI)

Project Coordinator: dr hab. Marcin Świtoniak

SETTI aims to strengthen soil literacy in the Visegrad countries by systematically integrating soil science into existing educational and tourist infrastructures, including nature trails, environment focused museums, ecological education centres. Although soils play a fundamental role in food security, ecosystem functioning, water regulation, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience, they remain one of the least visible and least understood components of the environment in both formal education curricula and public awareness initiatives. Compared to more media-visible environmental challenges such as climate change or air and water pollution, soil degradation processes—erosion, salinization, contamination, or organic matter loss—are gradual and often hidden, which makes their scale and long-term consequences difficult to perceive for non-specialists.

Preliminary reconnaissance research conducted across V4 countries reveals two closely interconnected challenges. First, soil-related content is frequently absent, fragmented, or marginalised within educational and tourist infrastructures that otherwise have high potential to communicate environmental knowledge. Second, teachers, educators, and guides rarely receive methodological support on how to effectively use these infrastructures for soil education in either formal or non-formal settings. As a result, students and visitors at different educational levels demonstrate significant gaps in basic soil knowledge and a limited understanding of threats to the pedosphere and its role in sustainable development. Addressing these shortcomings requires action aimed at increasing the visibility of soils in outdoor and institutional learning environments and at equipping key stakeholders with practical tools to enhance soil-related education.

SETTI responds to these challenges by analysing, and evaluating the current state of relevant tourist and educational infrastructures across the Visegrad region, with a particular focus on their potential for soil education. The project combines soil science, educational research, and tourism studies to develop concrete, practice-oriented outputs. By strengthening collaboration between university soil scientists and schools, museums, and education centres, the project supports a more effective and evidence-based transfer of scientific knowledge to younger generations and the wider public.

Educational tourism—through school excursions, field-based learning, family visits, and leisure activities—offers a powerful platform for experiential learning and for engaging people of all ages with soil-related issues. Direct exposure to diverse environments, combined with well-designed educational programs and interactive activities, fosters appreciation of soils as a non-renewable resource and encourages conservation-oriented attitudes and behaviours. The project therefore promotes edutainment approaches, hands-on workshops, and participatory activities that link soil knowledge with everyday human practices and environmental responsibility.

Through its comparative perspective across the Visegrad countries, SETTI generates transferable methodologies and guidelines that can serve as a model for other European regions. Ultimately, the project contributes to improved environmental literacy, greater public awareness of soil-related challenges, and the promotion of sustainable soil management as a shared societal responsibility across Central Europe and beyond.