Auf January 26, a first Stakeholdertreffen was held with Dutch stakeholders, marking a key step in building collaboration and knowledge exchange. The online event brought together 11 participants from a diverse mix of organisations, including a water board, a drinking water company, the federal health authority, environmental consultancies, public health advocacy groups, farmers’ associations, and academia.

Purpose of the workshop

The workshop served a dual purpose: introducing stakeholders to the SOILPROM project and facilitating an interactive discussion about their needs and practices related to the measurement, modelling, and management of soil pollution.

One area of particular interest was the modelling of wind transport of pesticides and microplastics using MicroHH (model designed to simulate turbulent flows in the atmosphere). Stakeholders were keen to learn how the model, traditionally used for gaseous matter, has been recently optimised for solid particles—opening new possibilities for understanding soil contamination pathways.

Next steps

The workshop was a valuable opportunity to align project activities with stakeholder priorities and gather insights that will shape future research. SOILPROM looks forward to continuing these dialogues and building a robust framework for tackling soil pollution challenges in the Netherlands.