Terramera receives $1M in funding to further soil carbon measurement technology and improve soil health

Terramera, a global agtech leader, is developing advanced soil-sensing technology and software to give farmers, investors and others accurate measurements of soil carbon and a more detailed understanding of soil health. Adoption of this technology in BC will enable development of the emerging low-carbon marketplace to help meet British Columbia’s emissions reduction goals.

“B.C. is home to a growing clean-energy sector and accounts for nearly 35% of Canada’s world-leading clean-tech firms that are having positive impacts globally,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “Terramera demonstrates the kind of innovative thinking that sows the seeds for a wide adoption of technologies critical to meeting the Province’s climate goals. This funding is the irrigation that allows cutting-edge ideas to bloom.”  

Regenerative farming practices enable sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere in agricultural soils, however soil carbon content is currently not easy to accurately quantify. With $1 million in funding from the Province’s Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund, and additional support from Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Terramera is developing low-cost soil health and soil carbon quantification technology using proprietary sensors, imaging, and data analytics as part of a larger platform called the Terramera Intelligence Engine. The project will lead to healthier, more resilient farmland, as farmers are incented to adopt climate smart farming practices which improve the health of their soils. Revenue for Terramera will be generated as farmers and landowners sell carbon credits in the emerging global carbon marketplace, and implement Terramera’s soil health software tools in their operations.

“Thank you to the BC Innovative Clean Energy Fund for recognizing this incredible opportunity to both reduce atmospheric carbon and support farmers improving soil health,” said Karn Manhas, Terramera Founder and CEO. “This supports the project we began with SDTC, building on Terramera’s expertise to deploy advanced in-field soil sampling and carbon-quantification technology in B.C. and eventually around the world. We look forward to getting these important tools in fields this year.”

The Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund was established in 2007 to support B.C.’s clean-energy sector and support the production of clean, renewable-energy technologies, reducing costs and helping to preserve the environment by lowering the consumption of fossil fuels.

This project supports the goals of the CleanBC climate plan by creating a viable standard for consistent soil carbon quantification, allowing agriculture soils to play a role in the Province’s drive to net zero by 2050.