The future of sustainable farming: our new position paper on Soil Tech is now live
Soil is one of our most valuable resources, quietly supporting food production, regulating the climate, filtering water, and sustaining biodiversity.
But today, it’s increasingly at risk. Erosion, pollution, and intensive farming are degrading soil health faster than it can recover. As arable land becomes scarcer and topsoil continues to decline, it’s clear we need to rethink how we care for the ground beneath our feet and invest in solutions that can make a lasting impact.
That’s why Grey Silo Ventures, in collaboration with the Research & Innovation Department of Cereal Docks Group, is proud to launch its fourth Position Paper, this time dedicated entirely to Soil Tech.
In this new publication, we take a deep dive into the complex role of soil in today’s agricultural systems. We examine the environmental, agronomic, and economic pressures currently threatening soil health across the globe, and explore the structural causes behind this growing crisis. From regenerative techniques like no-till farming, crop rotation, and cover cropping, to landscape-level interventions such as contour and terrace farming, we look at the practical methods that farmers are adopting to preserve soil functionality.
At the same time, we reflect on the ongoing trade-off between short-term productivity and long-term sustainability, a dilemma that many growers face daily. Most importantly, we highlight how science and innovation are stepping in to bridge that gap, offering scalable solutions that protect this vital resource while maintaining agricultural performance.
We explore emerging technologies aimed at preserving, improving, and restoring soil health. These include microbial treatments, RNA-based crop modulators, AI-driven diagnostics, and bio-based inputs designed to enhance soil performance and reduce environmental impact.
To help contextualize these advances, we’ve also included exclusive interviews with founders and executives from some of the most promising startups in the space, including Elaniti, APOLO Biotech, Talam Biotech, and OlsAro, who are each tackling the soil crisis from a different angle.
The paper identifies four major innovation areas within Soil Tech:
- Preservation & Maintenance of Soil
- Improvement of Soil Productivity
- Reparation & Restoration of Soil
- New Frontiers
Each of these reflects a growing effort to transition from extractive models to regenerative agriculture: a shift we believe will define the next decade of agri-tech innovation and investment.
Read the position paper
If you’re a founder building in this space, an investor looking to explore the Soil Tech opportunity, or simply curious about the future of sustainable farming, we invite you to read, connect, and join the conversation.
