Neolith : The Future of Soil & Crop Monitoring

The spring of 2023 in Sweden was very dry, and the summer turned out to be exceptionally rainy and wet. This resulted in the worst harvest in 30 years in Sweden, severely impacting the Swedish farmers. Witnessing the challenges faced by the farmers inspired my master’s degree project; The Neolith Spear, an all-in-one data-gathering device designed to enhance sustainable farming and resilience to climate change.The Neolith Spear measures values both above and below ground, sending data to mobile devices to help farmers optimize their strategies. It can measure, for example, natural nitrogen levels, preventing overfertilization and unnecessary costs. The device can stay in the soil throughout the growing season to monitor crop and root health, and features an ergonomic handle attachment for taking multiple soil samples.To develop this concept, I conducted in-depth research through a field trip to Västergötland in Sweden, visiting Lantmännen´s Future Farms, a soil laboratory, and a soil sampling expert, as well as interviewing nitrogen experts from Yara. My goal was to design an iconic handheld farming tool by blending functionality and aesthetics into a cohesive design with a clear purpose, and with the hope of making the Neolith Spear an icon of future farming. During this project I received external tutoring from Propeller Design, and Lantmännen and Yara were two significant contributors in my research.