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The webinar “Investment Opportunities in Foodtech” with Adrián Ferrero, co-founder and CEO of Biome Makers, highlights the crucial role of soil health in achieving sustainable agriculture to feed the projected 10 billion global population by 2050. Ferrero emphasizes that healthy soil underpins agricultural productivity, food quality, and environmental sustainability. Over the past 40 years, unsustainable farming has degraded a third of arable land, threatening future food security. Biome Makers uses advanced biotechnology and artificial intelligence to analyze soil microbiomes—communities of microorganisms vital for nutrient cycling and plant health—through genetic sequencing. This data-driven approach enables farmers to optimize soil management, improve crop yields, and adopt regenerative agriculture practices that restore soil vitality, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance resilience to climate change and water scarcity.
The webinar also discusses regenerative agriculture as a sustainable alternative to conventional methods, focusing on maintaining vegetation cover, minimizing soil disturbance, and integrating livestock to promote biodiversity and soil structure. Ferrero underscores how regenerative practices can mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving water retention in soils. Technological innovations like AI, IoT, and robotics are increasingly integrated with soil biology data to create autonomous farming systems that maximize resource efficiency and productivity. Case studies, such as the Spanish winery Bodegas Numanthia, demonstrate that sustainable soil management enhances both product quality and profitability. Ultimately, Ferrero advocates for a shift toward regenerative agriculture powered by cutting-edge technology to ensure food security, environmental health, and economic viability for future generations.
Adrián Ferrero tells us how biotechnology and sustainable practices are revolutionizing agriculture to meet the global challenges of climate change and food security
Following the presentation of the report Smart Agriculture: The Sustainable Food Challenge, the result of the 41st edition of our think tank Future Trends Forum, we continue to present some of the most interesting topics discussed by the participating experts.
We held the fifth webinar in this series: Investment opportunities in Foodtech with Adrián Ferrero. Adrián Ferrero is co-founder and CEO of Biome Makers, a leading company in the use of biotechnology and artificial intelligence to improve soil health and, with it, agricultural productivity. During this talk, Ferrero shares his vision on the future of agriculture, the importance of soil, and how technology can help us face global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity. We highlight a clear message from this webinar:
Healthy soil is the foundation of sustainable and regenerative agricultural production that will allow us to feed a growing population in a healthy, efficient and environmentally friendly way.
If you want to watch the webinar, you can do so here:
The Role of Soil Health in Agriculture with Adrián Ferrero
Below, we summarize the ideas discussed in the webinar:
The challenge of feeding 10,000 million people
By 2050, the world’s population is estimated to reach 10 billion people, posing a monumental challenge: how do you feed so many people in a sustainable and healthy way? This is the context in which the webinar takes place. Agriculture, one of humanity’s oldest activities, faces major challenges, and one of the most critical is soil degradation. According to Ferrero, in the last 40 years, we have lost a third of the world’s arable land due to unsustainable agricultural practices. This loss of natural soil fertility puts our ability to produce food efficiently and healthily at risk.
The Critical Importance of Soil Health
First of all, what is soil health? Soil health is “the capacity of the soil to maintain the productivity, diversity and environmental services of terrestrial ecosystems” (FAO, 2020), Ferrero points out, who stresses that 95% of the food we consume comes directly or indirectly from the soil. If we do not take care of the health of our soils, we are compromising our ability to continue producing food in the future. In this sense, soil health influences both agricultural productivity and the quality of the food we consume and, ultimately, our own health.
“Soil is the matrix from which plants can develop,” explains Ferrero. In his talk, he mentions that Biome Makers has developed the largest database on the health of agricultural soil in the world, which allows them to identify exceptional situations, both positive and negative, in soils around the planet. This database provides valuable information to better understand and manage soils, helping farmers make informed decisions to improve the productivity and sustainability of their crops.
And how is soil quality measured? Adrián Ferrero explains in detail the approach that Biome Makers uses to measure soil quality, a key factor in regenerative agriculture. According to Ferrero, soil quality is evaluated in three main dimensions: physical-chemical, biological and functional. The biological dimension is especially important because, as he points out, “only what is alive can have health.” In this regard, soil microbiome analysis is crucial. This microbiome is made up of millions of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, which play a critical role in plant growth. These microbial communities help mobilize nutrients, break down organic matter, and protect plants against disease.
To measure soil biodiversity and biological activity, Biome Makers uses genetic sequencing technology, which allows them to create a complete profile of the microorganisms present in a soil sample. This information is converted into data that allows farmers and agronomists to make informed decisions about soil management and crop optimization. Ferrero highlights that soil health is an indicator of both its ability to produce crops and its resilience to environmental changes or human disturbances. Soils with greater microbial biodiversity are more resistant to problems such as erosion or loss of fertility, as they can recover more easily from human interventions or climate change.
This comprehensive analysis of soil biology allows Biome Makers to create detailed maps of soil needs, guide agricultural practices, and improve the efficiency of inputs, such as fertilizers and water. In addition, artificial intelligence technology helps predict the outcomes of different farming practices, making this information a very powerful tool for optimizing productivity without compromising sustainability.
Biome Makers and the biotechnology revolution in the field
Founded in 2015, Biome Makers has led a revolution in biological soil analysis. Its BeCrop technology allows monitoring soil biodiversity by analysing the DNA of the microorganisms that inhabit it. This approach makes it possible to identify how these microorganisms interact with plants, optimizing processes such as nutrient mobilization and disease resistance. Ferrero points out that agriculture had not been able to take advantage of these biological dynamics until the arrival of these technologies.
Biome Makers has been the first non-U.S. company to join genetic giant Illumina’s corporate accelerator program. Today, Biome Makers is a global leader in soil health analysis, working with nearly 200 different crops and developing the world’s largest database of soil microbiomes. Through the use of genomic technologies and the analysis of large volumes of data, Biome Makers helps farmers better understand the biology of their soils and how to manage them more efficiently. “Today it is possible to make a complete profile of microorganisms in a soil sample, which allows us to digitize soil biology and transform this data into useful information for farmers,” explains Ferrero.
Regenerative Agriculture: A Sustainable Solution
One of the key points of the webinar is regenerative agriculture, a practice that seeks to restore and maintain soil health using sustainable methods. Ferrero explains that, unlike conventional agriculture, which often relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, regenerative agriculture is based on holistic principles. This includes (i) maintaining vegetation cover in fields to prevent soil erosion and promote biodiversity, (ii) reducing the use of machinery and invasive practices such as ploughing, and (iii) integrating livestock farming in a sustainable way.
Ferrero recommends the documentary “Kiss the Ground,” which offers an excellent introduction to the principles of regenerative agriculture. Through practical examples, it is demonstrated how these practices can improve soil health and increase the profitability of farms, without compromising productivity.
The impact of climate change and the water crisis
Another of the great challenges facing agriculture is climate change. Ferrero recalls that agriculture is both a victim and a cause of the current climate crisis. On the one hand, conventional agriculture emits large amounts of greenhouse gases, partly due to the intensive use of chemical fertilizers – 31% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the agri-food sector, according to the FAO. But on the other hand, agriculture can also be a tool for sequestering atmospheric carbon, as long as regenerative practices are adopted.
Water is another resource in danger. In the webinar, it is mentioned that in countries such as Spain, agriculture consumes up to 80% of the available fresh water. Ferrero points out that regenerative agriculture can contribute to reducing this water consumption, as the vegetation cover and improved soil structure allow more water to be retained and evaporation to be reduced. This benefits the environment and also improves the water efficiency of crops, a crucial factor in a world increasingly affected by water scarcity.
Technology and agriculture: a connected future
Technological innovation is playing a crucial role in the transformation of agriculture. Ferrero talks about how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics are making it possible to create more autonomous and regenerative agricultural systems. According to Ferrero, combining these advances with biological soil analysis has the potential to revolutionize the way we manage crops. “We are working with agricultural machinery companies to integrate our technologies into autonomous systems that can monitor and manage the soil accurately,” says the expert. These systems optimize the use of resources such as water and fertilizers and allow farmers to predict potential problems and act before they affect their crops.
Case Studies: The Vineyard Revolution
One of the practical examples that Ferrero shares in the webinar is that of Bodegas Numanthia. This Spanish winery adopted sustainable practices in its soil management, which has improved the quality of its grapes and increased its profitability. Through Biome Makers’ technology, they were able to monitor and improve soil biodiversity, resulting in higher quality grape production. This example demonstrates how regenerative practices don’t have to compromise agricultural profitability. On the contrary, they can improve the quality of products and optimize resources, which in the long term can be more profitable for farmers.
Conclusion: A healthier future for all
The main message that Adrián Ferrero leaves in this webinar is clear: soil health is the key to a more sustainable, profitable agriculture capable of feeding a growing world population. Technology, from biotechnology to artificial intelligence, is providing the tools needed to achieve this, but the shift to regenerative agriculture depends on the adoption of new practices by farmers and the food industry.
As we move towards a future where resources are increasingly limited, regenerative agriculture and soil testing technologies will play a crucial role in creating a more resilient food system. As Ferrero said, “better soil means better food and, ultimately, a better life.” By adopting these practices, we will ensure food production for future generations and help mitigate climate change and improve the health of our planet.
If you’re interested in the future of food, be sure to read our report Smart Agriculture: The Sustainable Food Challenge. This report is the result of conversations at our Future Trends Forum, where more than 40 global experts discussed how to meet the challenge of feeding a world population that will reach 10,000 million people by 2050. The report addresses sustainable solutions that integrate innovation and respect for natural balance, with key topics such as regenerative agriculture, alternative proteins, efficient water management, and the use of artificial intelligence and Big Data to optimize soil health. This document is essential to understand how, from a global collaboration that includes regulators, educators, the food industry, consumers, investors and startups, we can build a sustainable and resilient food future.
Other articles in this series:
