Ms Gutierrez, how did you come to be listening to your soil?<\/h2>
Regula Gutierrez:<\/strong>\u00a0A good ten years ago, I was lucky enough to be able to buy a piece of land in Schottikon, in the Canton of Zurich, with a large, unfertilised meadow. Branko, my partner, laid out some beds and I began to grow medicinal plants. Then, when I read a newspaper report about the Sounding Soil project, it immediately sparked my curiosity. I got into contact with Biovision, and we were able to listen to our soil very soon afterwards.<\/p> Regula Gutierrez:<\/strong>\u00a0It was fascinating to hear so many different sounds. Their intensity depended on their location, and sometimes there was no noise at all. The sounds were particularly loud in the compost heap and the meadow, which we mow as little as possible. On the other hand, there was practically nothing to be heard in the vegetable bed, where the earth is of course often turned over. As far as I\u2019m concerned, these noises confirm that it\u2019s worth working without\u00a0chemicals in the garden \u2013 otherwise there might one day be nothing more to be heard.<\/p> Branko Previsic:<\/strong>\u00a0Most people know very little about soil. If you were to ask a random selection of people off the street about the meaning of humus, many of them would probably talk about the tasty chickpea dip rather than soil quality. Nevertheless, the composition of humus is the most important factor governing our ability to cultivate a garden sustainably and keep it healthy.<\/p> Branko Previsic:<\/strong>\u00a0I use microorganisms and vegetable charcoal to build up humus \u2013 and have been doing so for 30 years. Rather than using insecticides against pests, I make room for the beneficial species. The slowworms and fire salamanders are my special pride and joy. Ever since I created refuges for these animals from wood and roofing tiles, I\u2019ve had no more trouble with snails.<\/p> Regula Gutierrez:<\/strong>\u00a0It makes people curious! At last, Sounding Soil provides access to material that isn\u2019t too “preachy”, just intriguing and fascinating! This is a positive way to appeal to an extremely broad selection of the population. As a teacher myself, I think it\u2019s important to educate people about this subject in schools too. Many young people have never really visited a farm. In school, much of the information is over-complicated, and it\u2019s at least as important for students to actually experience the subject in nature as it is for them to sit over their books and study. Sounding Soil offers them an opportunity to move their relationship with the soil to a new level.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t In 2019, Biovision\u2019s Swiss Programme worked more closely with the emerging\u00a0\u201cLandwirtschaft mit Zukunft\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(Farming with a Future) movement, which aims to createan ecological, regenerative and climate-friendly agriculture sector in Switzerland. In the spring of 2019, the\u00a0Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in Switzerland<\/a>\u00a0organised six Learning Journeys for universities, research centres, organisations and businesses. The participants acquired a deeper perception of the challenges involved in providing a healthy and sustainable food system. They subsequently worked together to look for innovative solutions. We used our\u00a0interactive CLEVER exhibition<\/a>\u00a0to raise awareness among pupils, students and adults in Zurich, W\u00e4denswil (Canton of Zurich), Wattwil (Canton of St Gallen) and Muttenz (Canton of Basel-Landschaft) for sustainable consumption. We used the\u00a0Sounding Soil<\/a>\u00a0project to give the soil a voice \u2013 by providing people who were interested in this idea with a microphone that allowed them to listen to the soil beneath their feet.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tWhat was that like for you?<\/h2>
Mr Previsic, what does soil mean to you?<\/h2>
What do you do to achieve this in your own garden?<\/h2>
What impressed you about the Sounding Soil awareness project?<\/h2>
Swiss Programme (PCH)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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