The Challenge

Agriculture across Europe is increasingly affected by challenges linked to soil degradation, water imbalance, biodiversity loss, and climate pressure. In Hungary’s Szigetköz region, a unique inland delta of the Danube River and home to the trans4num Nature-based Solutions (NBS) site, these issues are becoming increasingly visible through soil erosion, compaction, declining soil life, and changing water conditions.

Although Nature-based Solutions are widely recognised as important tools for improving soil health and resilience, many farmers, educators, and local stakeholders still find them difficult to visualise and apply in practice.

During trans4num activities, farmers and advisors frequently highlighted that information about regenerative agriculture often feels:

• too abstract,
• overly technical,
• or disconnected from real farming situations.

At the same time, younger generations are becoming increasingly disconnected from agriculture and soil systems, despite their growing importance for climate adaptation and food security.

This created the need for a new type of educational approach, one that is:

• practical,
• visual,
• interactive,
• and rooted in real-life experimentation.

The result was the creation of the trans4num NBS Tools: a set of hands-on learning tools designed to make Nature-based Solutions visible, tangible, and understandable for diverse audiences.

Making Nature-based Solutions Tangible

The trans4num NBS Tools were created to transform complex environmental and agricultural concepts into accessible learning experiences.

Rather than traditional teaching materials, the tools are:

• mobile,
• tactile,
• modular,
• and story-driven.

Users are encouraged to observe, touch, test, compare, and experiment with real agricultural processes and Nature-based Solutions.

The tools combine scientific knowledge, visual storytelling, practical demonstrations, and interactive experimentation.

They were designed for use across multiple settings, including:

• schools and universities,
• agricultural workshops,
• public exhibitions,
• environmental education centres,
• and farmer engagement events.

Their aim is not only to explain environmental problems, but also to encourage curiosity, experimentation, and solution-oriented thinking

From Observation to Investigation

The NBS Tools guide users through a progressive learning journey. The experience begins by helping participants recognise environmental challenges and agricultural problems before moving toward investigation, experimentation, and Nature-based Solutions.

The toolkit is structured around two complementary categories:

1. Observation & Problem-Raising Tools
2. Investigation, Analysis & Exercise Tools

1. Observation & Problem-Raising

The learning journey begins with the “Challenges in Agriculture” Mock-up Landscape, a detailed model representing an inter-island farming landscape inspired by real agricultural situations in the Szigetköz region.

Through visual storytelling, users encounter everyday challenges linked to non-sustainable farming practices, including:

• dust storms,
• soil compaction,
• erosion,
• and water imbalance.

Short stories and comic-style illustrations guide participants through each scenario, helping them understand the root causes behind environmental degradation.

Participants can then attach Nature-based Solution elements directly onto the landscape to explore how farming practices can improve environmental conditions.

2.Investigation, Analysis & Exercise Tools

After identifying agricultural and environmental challenges, participants move into hands-on investigation and experimentation.

These tools allow users to:

• test hypotheses,
• observe ecological processes,
• compare farming practices,
• and explore how Nature-based Solutions influence soil health, water retention, biodiversity, and resilience.

Each tool focuses on a specific environmental process and transforms scientific concepts into visible, interactive experiences.