LONDON -
Friday, 05. December 2025
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Earth Rover Program today launches globally, introducing “soilsmology”—a
novel application of seismology that opens an unprecedented window into
the health and structure of soil, one of the planet’s most vital and
vulnerable ecosystems. Developed with support from the Bezos Earth Fund,
the programme aims to make soil health visible, measurable, and
actionable at scale, transforming global land management and supporting
efforts to prevent climate and ecological collapse.
Soil
supports 99% of human food production and stores more carbon than the
atmosphere and vegetation combined. Yet 75% of the world’s soils are
degraded, threatening food security, biodiversity, and climate
stability. Until now, monitoring soil health has been costly, slow, and
reliant on invasive sampling. The Earth Rover Program uses seismology in
new ways to “see” into the shallow layers of soil by sending
ultrahigh-frequency waves through the ground. These techniques reveal
properties such as soil volume, bulk density, moisture, and internal
structure—all key indicators of soil health.
Over two
years, the programme has evolved from a proof-of-concept into a
functioning global network. Early results show that seismic analysis can
deliver exceptionally fine spatial resolution (around 10 cm) and
distinguish different ecosystems and farming systems. Identical field
setups deployed in Europe, Africa, and South America have consistently
produced high-quality, comparable data.
A major
breakthrough lies in affordability. By developing a next-generation MEMS
accelerometer, the team has reduced sensor costs from $1,000 in 2023 to
just $10 today, with a target of $1. This dramatic reduction is
intended to make rapid, non-invasive soil assessment accessible to all
farmers, including those in the poorest communities. The goal is a
global citizen-science soil network, with users contributing data via
open-source, encrypted platforms to create a shared, trusted global soil
map—akin to a Human Genome Project for the ground beneath our feet.
The Earth
Rover Program is now advancing several innovations: integrating
seismology with a new sensor design and AI model for fast, scalable soil
health monitoring; expanding seismic mapping of deep soil moisture;
measuring connected porosity; and determining soil texture and soil
carbon. These indicators are crucial for understanding soil’s role in
crop resilience, carbon storage, and water regulation.
The
programme’s methods avoid disturbing soil—unlike traditional coring and
pit-digging—while offering faster, cheaper, and more scalable data
collection. This opens new possibilities for farmers seeking to reduce
fertiliser use, irrigation, and deep tillage without reducing yields.
Pilot projects are underway with partners in the UK, Kenya, Colombia,
Germany, and France, forming the foundation of a global database.
To ensure
that complex soil data can be acted upon, the programme has also
developed ERP-GPT, an AI platform designed to translate measurements
into clear guidance for farmers, scientists, and policymakers. In the
long term, the Earth Rover Program aims to create the world’s first soil forecast—or “soilcast”—providing predictive insights comparable to weather forecasting and supporting long-term land-use planning.
George Monbiot, Co-founder of the Earth Rover Program, said:
“For too long, soil has been dark to us. Despite brilliant work by soil
scientists, our understanding remains patchy. The Earth Rover Program
changes that. With a richer understanding of their soil’s qualities and
deficiencies, farmers can reduce environmental harm while sustaining
yields. In time, we hope this approach will support new biological
methods for soil improvement, allowing us to feed the world without
devouring the planet.”
Dr Andy Jarvis, Director of Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund, said:
“Anyone who’s dug a soil pit knows how hard it is to understand what’s
happening below the surface. The Earth Rover team found a way to read
that hidden world without tearing it apart. Better soil knowledge
strengthens everything we care about in climate and nature.”
Professor Jacqueline Hannam, University of Greenwich, commented:
“It’s really challenging to know what’s going on underneath our feet.
The Earth Rover Program’s methods have enormous potential to quantify
key soil properties such as depth, bulk density, and water
movement—without putting a spade in the ground. This breakthrough is
urgently needed to reverse soil degradation and support sustainable
management.”
The Earth Rover Program will release its inaugural report, Soilsmology: Transforming our Understanding of Soil, during a virtual webinar on
5 December 2025, featuring opening remarks by Kate Raworth and a panel
with the programme’s co-founders and Professor Franciska de Vries.
Notes to Editors
The Earth Rover Program is
a non-profit global research organisation founded by an environmental
journalist, a seismologist, and a soil scientist. Its 17-strong research
team includes two professors and 15 PhDs from nine countries. The
organisation partners with leading institutions in the UK, Kenya, and
Colombia and is supported by the Bezos Earth Fund and the UBS Optimus
Foundation.
A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://ml-eu.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/79424530-57f4-48ba-93bb-b87e081b1507
Contacts :
Austyn Close, Atalanta
austyn@atalanta.co / +44 7850421012
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