Cutting Fertilizer Waste Through Satellite-Based Soil Monitoring
Fertilizer application across smallholder farms had long been guided by habit rather than soil condition, leading to persistent overuse, rising input costs, and diminishing returns on yield. In 2026, a precision-agriculture rollout brought satellite-based soil monitoring to 8,500 farms across three states, replacing guesswork with a shared, real-time view of soil health and forecasted yield.
The Challenge
Farmers were applying fertilizer at flat, uniform rates regardless of actual soil nutrient levels, and cooperatives had no aggregated way to forecast regional yield or plan input distribution. The result was consistent overspending on fertilizer paired with yield variability that was hard to explain or address.
Our Approach
- Used satellite imagery and soil sensors to build farm-level nutrient and moisture profiles across the region.
- Generated tailored fertilizer recommendations per plot instead of applying a single blanket rate.
- Built a cooperative-facing dashboard aggregating soil health data into real-time yield forecasts.
Key Results
- 22% reduction in fertilizer waste across participating farms.
- 8,500 farms onboarded to satellite-based soil monitoring.
- Real-time yield forecasting now available to cooperative managers across all three states.
Beyond the immediate cost savings, the shared dashboard gave cooperatives a planning tool they had never had before, a live, aggregated view of regional soil health that informs everything from input procurement to storage planning ahead of harvest.
