SoilBlitz
A SoilBlitz involves citizen scientists, people from all walks of life, using Earthwatch Europe’s Soil Health Watch toolkit to test the health of their soil.
The data collected provides an accurate and comparable snapshot of soil health within a region. People of all ages and backgrounds become a soil scientist for a day, using simple tools to test the earth and learn citizen science methods.
Participants submit their SoilBlitz data on our Farming with Nature platform in an online survey, which guides the citizen scientists through the process. Soil texture, infiltration rate, earthworm density, soil colour, vegetation cover and root depth; these are all investigated in a step-by-step method with a hands-on approach. Muddy hands are guaranteed!
Why soil health matters
Most life on Earth depends on the soil beneath our feet. Soil health is the ability of a soil to support life above and below ground. Healthy soils are able to store water, enable plants to grow, and are full of all kinds of life.
Soil also provides us with clean water, climate regulation, and so much more. Yet they are being degraded at an alarming rate.
A recent assessment of European soils suggested that 60-70% of them are of poor quality. Even amid the ongoing climate crises and awareness of the need to save our natural world, soils are often overlooked.
Soil Health Watch
We have developed Soil Health Watch so citizen scientists can measure soil health with a toolkit and an online survey app.
It is a low tech, practical method that looks at different elements of soil health including porosity, texture, colour, and earthworms. It only takes about 30 minutes to complete.
All the results entered in the app, in combination with the location, is displayed on our online dashboard. This data will be open to all the participants and can be used to understand local soil quality.
Understanding the condition of the soil can help organisations and local communities take actions to improve the health of their land.
Did you know that more than half of all species on Earth live in the soil beneath our feet?
SoilBlitz in Austria
We are working with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) to bring the SoilBlitz to schools in Austria.
As part of the Citizen Science Award 2025, school classes are independently collecting data on local soil health, using our soil health kit and resources.
The collected data will be documented in an app and then used to gain insight into soil health in different countries as part of the European BENCHMARKS project.
Through our SoilBlitz events, we introduce people of all ages and backgrounds to this simple method of soil testing.
“It is really lovely to see how the children and young people are exploring the topic of soil health. Their hands are dirty, they are eagerly searching for earthworms, and the infiltration ring is being hammered into the ground with much enthusiam. Seeing this commitment brings pure joy!”
Sophia Götzinger, AGES
Projects
Benchmarks
Benchmarks is building a European network – and an integrated soil health monitoring framework – to advance soil research, monitor… Read moreFind out more about our work with soil
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