From October 1st to October 3rd, the MINAGRIS General Assembly was held at the Head Office of AGES in Vienna, Austria, bringing together researchers, partners, and people who worked together on the project from all over Europe. Over the course of three days, participants exchanged project updates, talked about major discoveries, and collaborated on the next steps in understanding the effects of plastics on our soils—a crucial topic for sustainable agriculture and research.
Understanding the Challenge: Plastics in Agricultural Soils
The MINAGRIS project aims to understand how these elements impact agricultural productivity and social outcomes by looking at the relationships between plastic waste and soil biodiversity. Because plastic is used in agriculture for everything from mulch films to fertilisers, micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) accumulate in soil. The nutrient cycle, water dynamics, and even the systems of plants and soil organisms can be altered by these particles. When they are combined with other pollutants, their effects become even more complex. MINAGRIS brings together scientists, farmers, policy makers, and citizens to better understand and address this problem and reduce plastic contamination in agricultural soils.
What Happened in the Minagris General Assembly 2025?
Day 1: Collaboration and Progress
Following an icebreaker from Project Officer Benjamin Van Doorslaer, the Assembly began with welcomes from Esperanza Huerta Lwanga (WU) and Taru Sandén (AGES). After that, participants gave presentations on their progress on each work package, emphasising their results in soil analysis, data collection, and socioeconomic research. After an open conversation, the day came to a close with an outline for the year ahead.
Day 2: Workshops and Excursions
The second day focused on interactive workshops, where teams discussed data management, field experiments, and ecosystem service assessment. Participants discussed outreach options and devised plans for the project's last year. Following a leisurely evening city tour and dinner, the event's highlight, the lunchtime excursion to the City Farm Vienna, offered a hands-on look at urban agriculture and plastic challenges.
Day 3: Planning ahead
The final day centered on future planning and collaboration. Participants shared feedback from the field visit, refined the project's event strategy, and discussed challenges and goals for each work package. WU and EQY's closing speeches concluded the discussion with a strong emphasis on development and mutual commitment.
The Role of SPOTTERON and the Citizen Science SoilPlastic App for Citizen Engagement
An essential part of the MINAGRIS outreach and citizen engagement strategy is the SoilPlastic App, developed by SPOTTERON.
The App allows farmers, researchers, and citizens to record observations of plastic debris in agricultural soils directly from the field. These data points help the MINAGRIS project to better understand the sources, distribution, and impacts of plastic pollution and bridge the gap between scientific research and community participation, helping to create a more complete picture of how plastics affect our agricultural systems, and what can be done to minimize their negative impact.
Future plans in MINAGRIS
The General Assembly in Vienna highlighted not only the scientific progress of the MINAGRIS project but also the strong collaboration among its partners. As the project enters its final stages, the focus now shifts toward finalizing results, disseminating findings, and engaging the broader community in the collective effort to safeguard soil health and agricultural sustainability.
With dedicated research, technological innovation, and active participation, MINAGRIS continues to pave the way towards a cleaner, more resilient agricultural future.
Any questions on the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform or Citizen Science Apps? We are happy to hear from you!