An activity involving Granada Tierra Viva, the living lab of the SOILCRATES project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

This morning marked the inauguration of the photo exhibition “Vega de Granada: Promises of Life, Territory at Risk” at the Palace of the Counts of Gabia, where it will be on display from April 21 to May 18. The exhibition is part of the events organized for the 8th Week of the Vega. The activity features the participation of Granada Tierra Viva, a living lab ecosystem focused on soil recovery and improvement, as well as territorial development. It was created within the framework of the SOILCRATES project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme of the European Union.

The exhibition, promoted by the Salvemos la Vega–Vega Educa collective and the Granada Provincial Council, can be visited throughout the week and presents a selection of photographs taken by students from IES Albaicín, IES Politécnico Hermenegildo Lanz, and the José Val del Omar School of Art and Design. Through their lenses, the students have captured the Vega of Granada during the winter of 2025, offering a critical, intimate, and engaged view of the region’s natural, cultural, and social environment.

Speakers at the opening event included:

  • Antonio Mancilla Mancilla, Deputy for the Environment of the Granada Provincial Council
  • Esteban Romero Frías, Vice-Rector for Social Innovation, Employability, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Granada
  • Manuel Montoya Gualda, Coordinator of Vega Educa
  • Luis María Iglesia Cazalilla, curator of the exhibition and long-time teacher and supporter of the Vega Educa movement
  • Pilar Caracuel Sánchez, Deputy for Culture and Education, who officially declared the exhibition open
  • María José Martín Gómez, Territorial Delegate in Granada for Educational Development, Vocational Training, Universities, Research, and Innovation

Warmly received by attendees, the exhibition invites reflection on the urgent need to protect the Vega of Granada as a space of life, identity, and sustainability, in the face of urban and environmental threats. It also emphasizes the importance of preserving and improving soil health, in line with the goals of the European SOILCRATES project and, specifically in the province of Granada, through the Granada Tierra Viva living lab. This lab promotes the local application of the values laid out in the European Union’s Soil Manifesto.

Under the slogan “We need much more green Vega to withstand so much reality,” a clear message is delivered: defending the land—and its soils—is also defending the future.

Visit Impronta Granada to read the article in spanish : https://improntagranada.es/soilcrates/arranca-la-viii-semana-de-la-vega-con-una-exposicion-fotografica-que-retrata-un-territorio-en-riesgo/