Receive your free soil sampling kit and training on 4 October. Register here.
WHAT IS ECHO?
Learn about your soil’s health while supporting scientific research!
The ECHO soil health testing program is a citizen science project focusing on European soil health. Citizen scientists from 28 countries, including Portugal, learn about soil health and participate in collecting data that will then be analyzed and loaded into an open-source database. The data collected will be available for use not only by scientists, but also by the general public, policy makers, farmers, landowners and other end-users, providing added value to existing data and other relevant soil monitoring initiatives.
When you participate in the program:
You will receive a kit to collect a soil sample from your own site and learn about its health.
You will use a mobile app to receive immediate feedback on the soil collected.
Mud Valley Institute then collects the sample and sends it away for analysis, where the results will be added to the open-source database.
Mud Valley Institute is the ECHO Soil Ambassador for the Algarve, and so is responsible for teaching participants how to do the sampling correctly, as well as distributing and collecting the kits in the region.
Why participate?
The ECHO soil health testing program empowers you to become an active participant in safeguarding the health of our planet’s soils!
Learn about the health of your soil
Learn more about soils and the importance of soil health
Promote actions that protect and restore soil health
Promote actions that protect and restore soil health
What you can learn about the health of your soil
You will learn the following key aspects of your soil through on-site collection, and a combination of on-site and off-site analysis:
Soil organic carbon:
A vital component of healthy soil, it plays a crucial role in nutrient cycling and water retention.
Soil biodiversity:
A healthy soil is teeming with diverse microorganisms that contribute to nutrient cycling and overall soil health.
Soil structure and texture:
These physical properties influence water infiltration, aeration, and root growth.
Soil pH:
An important factor affecting nutrient availability and microbial activity
Who can participate?
Everyone!
This is a citizen science program that is open to anyone who wants to learn more about soils, collect a soil sample, and be a part of a Europe-wide research project. This program is perfect for landowners, land stewards, families, and schools, to name a few.
Please note that you will be collecting a soil sample, so you will need access to a piece of land, and permission to be there.
What’s in the Citizen Science Toolkit?
As a participant, you will receive your own soil sampling kit. The all-inclusive kit contains: clear and detailed instructions to walk you through each step of the sampling process, a shovel for soil sampling, a variety of containers to store and analyze the soil samples, pH evaluation strips, and sterile gloves for better sample handling.
This video is also available in Portuguese.
Download the App
Each kit has its own unique QR code for registering and tracking your test results. You will use the EchoSoil mobile app to collect your data.
How to use the soil sampling kit
Mud Valley Institute will host a session on Saturday, 4 October 2025, to teach participants about soil health and how to use the ECHO soil sampling kit. This session will take place at our Saturdays at the Farm event at Quinta Vale da Lama, near Lagos, that afternoon.
Instructional Videos
The ECHO program has also created a series of videos on YouTube that share how to conduct the sampling. The full playlist can be found bellow.
Key things to remember when sampling:
Download the EchoSoil mobile app beforehand,
Bring your phone with you, a bottle of water, and the sampling kit,
Remember to fill in the survey in the EchoSoil app before sampling,
Allow about an hour to conduct the sampling.
What to do after you finish sampling?
You will return your sample to Mud Valley Institute after you finish collecting it. We will then forward all the samples from the Algarve to the ECHO program for their detailed analysis of the soil DNA and pollutants.
A few things to keep in mind:
Don’t delete the app after sampling. You will be asked to fill in a post-collection survey in a few months, and will use the app to do so,
After collecting your soil sample, store it at room temperature,
Return your soil sample to Mud Valley Institute within 2 weeks of collecting your sample. We will have several events at which you can return your sample. We will share those details with you when you receive your kit.
Ready to get involved and conduct your own soil health testing?
Reserve your ECHO kit
Email us to reserve a soil health testing kit, or with any questions you may have.
ECHO Kit workshop
We will distribute kits (and show to do the sampling) on Saturday, 4 October 2025, at our Saturdays at the Farm program.
More info
If you cannot make it to the program on 4 October, please let us know and we will try to find another way to get a sampling kit to you.
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