As part of the Soil Carbon Service Design Lab in the IRISCC project, Ville Kasurinen travelled to Porto for the first SoilTribes Bootcamp (7-8 October 2025). SoilTribes is an EU-funded initiative that blends artistic, scientific, and civic perspectives to reimagine soil justice across Europe. The bootcamp was an intense, joyful co-creation space – and we came home as winners!
Photo credits: SoilTribes
Our goal was simple but ambitious: show why open, long-term soil data from research infrastructures (like ICOS stations and the Field Observatory) is essential for trustworthy Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of carbon removals. Transparent, science-based data is the foundation for scaling regenerative practices and making the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework actually work on the ground.
During the bootcamp, our challenge merged with another team’s vision and gave birth to a new concept that instantly felt bigger than the sum of its parts:
Mycelium – A Living Soil Story (G3 – Soil Commons & Knowledge Platforms)
Mycelium is now a shared European platform that connects land stewards, scientists, artists, and policymakers through data-driven and arts-based storytelling. It enables collaborative learning, real-time soil monitoring, and new funding flows for soil-positive actions. At its heart is the belief that caring for soil means caring for life – a narrative of inheritance, shared knowledge, and collective regeneration.
We introduced participants to existing infrastructures (ICOS flux towers, the Field Observatory, Copernicus products) and demonstrated how openly available, long-term in-situ and satellite data can support new services. Just as example, in this article are explained the methods used in Field Observatory. Even though the Field Observatory currently focuses on intensively monitored research stations, many of its data streams (vegetation indices, satellite imagery, management logs) can be applied Europe-wide – the perfect foundation for science-backed, farmer-friendly tools.
Our joint team was selected as one of the winning challenges and awarded €5,000 to further develop Mycelium before March 2026. We will continue the co-design process at the next SoilTribes bootcamp in Barcelona.
We are thrilled and deeply honoured by this recognition. With the transdisciplinary energy of the team – designers, soil scientists, artists, and data experts – we are determined to turn Mycelium into a real, usable service that can be delivered through the Soil Carbon Service Design Lab and support carbon farming and regenerative agriculture all across Europe.
Stay tuned – the story of Mycelium is just beginning!
