SEFE

SEFE: Soil Explorers: Family Edition

Location of activities and scope

Lecce, Italy, Workshop Lab Tools

Italy – Festival animation – Workshop lab tool

 

Executive Summary

SEFE is an eco-friendly toolkit that helps children (6–12) and parents discover the value of soil through shared learning. It includes 20-page awareness guidebook, 4 hands-on materials (pH strips, biodegradable pots, seeds, soil samples), a reflection journal, and 14 storytelling cards linking soil to culture, food, and biodiversity. The project will engage 30 pilot families, test the toolkit in 2 workshops (online and in-person), and distribute 100 SEFE Toolkits (30 for piloting + 70 for dissemination distributed at the SOILSCAPE Festival, complemented by digital resources). Outcomes include strengthened soil literacy, adoption of sustainable practices, and a replicable model for wider use. Deliverables include SEFE Toolkit, 60 evaluation forms, 1 downloadable toolkit guide, 14 storytelling cards, 1 tutorial video, 4 PR, and a bilingual online blog (IT/EN) for sharing soil stories, with a showcase at the SOILSCAPE Festival 2027 aiming to reach a minimum 2,000 people via all actions.

Motivation Statement

The project is implemented by the Fondazione per la Gestione dell’Orto Botanico Universitario in collaboration with Innostart Srl, an innovative start-up specialized in cultural innovation, sustainability, and participatory design.

For Innostart, soil represents both a challenge and an opportunity: the challenge to confront the pressures of unsustainable consumption, and the opportunity to innovate responsibly by transforming waste into sustainable materials that can return value back to the earth. Soil is a resource, an inspiration, and a teacher in the quest for circular solutions that respect nature.

For the Botanical Garden of Salento, soil is the substrate in which we all grow, a living classroom and archive of biodiversity, a dynamic space where children, families, and citizens can explore hidden ecosystems, discover the balance between plants and microbes, and reflect on the fragile connections that sustain life.

Together, when we hear the word “soil,” we think of roots — natural, cultural, and human. Soil is memory, nourishment, and future potential. It is the common ground where innovation and ecology meet, and where communities are invited to imagine, create, and co-shape a more sustainable future.

Sub-project objectives

SEFE aims to empower families with children aged 6–12 to build soil literacy through playful, visually artistic and participatory learning. The project will engage 30 families through two pilot workshops (one online and one in-person) and distribute to them 30 SEFE Toolkits, each designed to provide at least 8–10 hours of hands-on soil exploration at home.

Families will act as multipliers: children influence parents’ habits, while parents bring new practices into their households and communities.

By starting with 30 well-supported families, SEFE ensures the toolkit is credible, replicable, and ready for scaling in schools, community centers, and across other European contexts after the pilot phase.

 

Challenges and how they will be addressed

SEFE aims to reach at least 2,000 people in total, including ~100 direct participants from 30 pilot families, ~900 visitors through the SOILSCAPE Festival demonstration, ≥800 unique visitors on the online blog and social media pages of SEFE project, and ≥200 toolkit downloads. In addition to tangible optputs, the project will collect at least 60 evaluation forms with an expected ≥80% completion rate, aiming for 70% of participants to demonstrate improved knowledge of soil functions and 60% of families to report adopting at least one new soil-care practice at home (e.g., composting, soil-friendly planting).

 

Expected outcomes

Tangible outputs will include: 100 SEFE Toolkits (30 for the pilot families and 70 for dissemination purposes in SOILSCARE Festival), 1 awareness and capacity-building guidebook, 4 hands-on learning materials, a reflection journal, 14 storytelling cards, 1 tutorial video, 4 press release articles, a Facebook and LinkedIn project page, participation in one interview with the SOILSCAPE consortium a bilingual (IT/EN) online blog hub for sharing experiences, and a public showcase at the SOILSCAPE Festival 2027. Non-tangible outcomes will include: stronger intergenerational dialogue, increased environmental responsibility at the household level, and fresh cultural narratives that position soil as a shared ecological and social resource.

Meet the Project Team

Fondazione per la Gestione dell’Orto Botanico Universitario

The Foundation for the Management of the University Botanical Garden manages the 13-hectare Salento Botanical Garden. Its objectives include social, educational, study, research, and education in the environmental field and the protection, conservation, and enhancement of plant biodiversity. It pursues these goals by offering collections of natural environments and plants to convey culture and environmental awareness, encouraging new generations and promoting local biodiversity. It was established with the timely goal of preserving (reconstructed) natural environments, demonstrating and teaching how these environments should appear in the absence of human disturbance. It also preserves important collections of agricultural biodiversity. It houses collections with three specific purposes: 1) conservation and enhancement of agricultural biodiversity; 2) characteristics of local natural environments; and 3) cross-cutting themes, such as a sensory garden.

Contact – Gian Pietro Di Sansebastiano

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Fondazione per la Gestione dell’Orto Botanico Universitario