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.