Novel Agro AB
Increase world food production by at least 6 percent by developing new technologies to reduce soil compaction.
Learn moreSince the 70s, the machines in agriculture have become bigger and bigger. This has made it possible for the farmer to have fewer employees, manage larger areas and grow more food for the world's population in a shorter time. Thanks to the fact that the machines have become bigger and considerably heavier than in the 70s, a problem has become bigger and bigger
GET IN TOUCHSoil compaction causes at least 6% yield loss world wide. A considerable portion of the global crop yield is lost annually due to soil compaction, as reported by Environmental Science & Technology in 2021. This phenomenon significantly affects modern agriculture, impacting nearly 70% of all crop farming.
Estimated conservative 6% harvest loss due to compaction is €10,2 Billion only in Europe. The average farmer in Europe loses 92 500€ per year.
The main problem is that farmer do not know when there is a risk for soil compaction, most depend on previous knowledge inherited fron generation of farmers. But they have not taken into consideration of the heavier machinery we have today.
Today, soil compaction has been voted the 3 biggest problem in agriculture, in first place are energy issues and second are plant nutrition.
So why is it such a big problem? And how does soil compaction effect the food production?
Imagine stepping inside a garden where there are growing flowers. Your weight will probably destroy the poor flowers, and they may not grow as well the year after.
Then, imagine driving with 20 tonnes vehicles on the soil where we grow our food. If there are high risk for soil compaction that day, the machine will compact the soil.
When the soil is compacted, the small pores in the soil that bring water and nuitritions to the seeds is damaged, which causing the seed not to grow.
If the farmer could predict the soil compaction risk with a digital tool, it would guide the farmer when to drive out on the field, with what vehicle and equipment and what tire/track combination is needed to prevent soil compaction.
If the farmer could predict the soil compaction risk with a digital tool, it would guide the farmer when to drive out on the field, with what vehicle and equipment and what tire/track combination is needed to prevent soil compaction.
Evolante collaborated with Violet AI to developed such tool. We call it the Compaction Prevention System. The tool takes 4 data sources as input, the soil moisture, the clay content in the soil, the field status (plowed, grows something, newly harvest, cultivated soil etc) and an algorithm calculates the soil compaction risk and is displayed for the farmer in a 100 times 100 meter grid on a field representation on the map.
We received a partnership with the company Planet which enabled us to receive soil water content data from satellites in orbit of the earth.
The project received Agritechnica Innovation Award for the product CPS in Germany. Agritechnica Innovations Award is the most prestigious award in the world in agricultural technology and is awarded in connection with the large international agricultural fair DLG Feldtage in Germany.
Our tool can help farmers increase their profits by up to 6% or more, depending on the crop.
™ EVOLANTE CONSULTING