SoilWatch is about watching the soil from close and far, yes. But not only! By putting soil in our name, we wanted to convey the importance of soils in natural cycles, how they contribute to healthy ecosystems, and support sustainable food production. Poor soil conditions cannot support vegetation growth sustainably, and therefore the entire concept of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and ecosystem restoration only holds if we care for our soils and put them at the centre of everything we do.
SoilWatch is helping the supply-side of ecosystem restoration by providing a software solution that accompanies project developers and implementers throughout their restoration journey. Starting from the identification of restoration potential through NbS approaches, followed by data-driven project design and certification, and framed by rigorous and transparent Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV). We rely on petabyte archives of open Satellite Data and field-collected information to train and calibrate biogeochemical and machine learning models to map land degradation trends and quantify ecosystem variables such as above-ground biomass and soil organic carbon.
NbS investments need a SERIOUS boost if we want to meet humanity’s climate targets. There are many ways to approach the problem of global emissions reductions, but we believe that carbon removal through photosynthesis remains the purest and most holistic solution to the global climate crisis in a way that also supports human development. It reconnects communities to nature, builds resilience in the face of drought, flood and other climate hazards, ensures sustainable livelihoods in the communities that live off the restored land, reduces conflict over natural resources, all the while providing GHG emissions reduction.
In absence of good projects to invest in, climate finance is flowing to the few available projects, which are riddled with flaws and issues, tarnishing the reputation of carbon markets and other climate financing mechanisms. By participating in the entire lifecycle of NbS projects, we make sure these flaws are addressed to ensure the highest project quality on the environmental, climatic and socio-economic front.
Founded 2 years ago in the midst of the COVID pandemic and incorporated in Finland, SoilWatch has a distributed workforce of 8 people on 5 different continents.
We are already collaborating with various International Organizations to support the environmental impact assessment of their activities, and helping them position themselves as logical recipients of climate finance. Moreover, we have established research partnerships with top scientific institutions in Finland and abroad in the field of Earth Observation for mapping Ecosystem Variables and Carbon Stocks.
We are a bootstrapped company that is appreciating its organic growth and traction from the sheer interests that our clients are showing towards our approach. Fundraising is a possibility, and if the conditions are right, we may embark on stimulated growth to scale our software product, which you can be part of!
Soilwatch is a remote-first company, and will continue to embrace remote working as a guiding principle.
Being remote-first inevitably means you get to travel, either for company retreats or for field work!