Muju Earth plans to begin Aeropod field trials in Britain — TechCrunch

Startup Muju Earth plans to begin paid field trials of Aeropod in the United Kingdom this autumn — small soil-aeration capsules that are placed in the ground together with seeds. Nine farmers will take part in the tests, while more than 30 others are on a waiting list, TechCrunch reports.

How Aeropod works

The device is approximately the size of a fingernail. It can be inserted into the soil using the same equipment used for sowing seeds, without prior plowing. According to the company, after exposure to a combination of temperature, pressure and moisture, the capsule opens, loosens the soil and creates small channels for the movement of air, water and roots.

Aeropod devices have already been tested in laboratory conditions. According to research estimates cited by TechCrunch, soil compaction can reduce yields by 20–60%. Muju Earth says the development could improve soil health and reduce farmers’ soil-treatment costs by at least half.

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Cost and target market

The company named British onion producers as Aeropod’s initial market, as this crop is particularly sensitive to soil compaction. Muju Earth co-founder and CEO Ifeoluwa Afolayan estimated the cost of one field treatment at £250–400 per hectare, including labor, diesel fuel and equipment wear.

According to her, using Aeropod should deliver a similar result for about £100 per hectare. The development was created by Afolayan and her co-founder Wangyang Hu while they were at Imperial College London.

Participation in Startup Battlefield

Muju Earth was selected among 200 startups in the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield competition, which will take place as part of the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco in October. Twenty finalists will present their projects on the event’s main stage.