Podfol

The Podfol System aims to regenerate degraded, drought-threatened land through sustainable ecological practices like optimizing water and nutrient usage, increasing humus, sequestering CO2, and enhancing plant production. Drought, a result of ecological disruption, leads to reduced vegetation and soil degradation due to climate change and human activities. Agricultural and forest lands suffer fertility loss from human-induced activities like irrigation inefficiency and improper fertilization due to unstable soil moisture. Human mismanagement causes degraded land migration to temperate zones, reducing rainfall impact and exacerbating historical desertification. Reduced crop yields and vegetation vigor signal drought effects, stemming from disrupted soil biological activity and reduced plant nutrition. Rational agricultural practices, like deep tillage in clayey soils, enhance fertility and productivity by fostering natural root system development and drought resistance. Conversely, irrational practices, like deep tillage in sandy clay soils, degrade soil structure and reduce humus content. Additional tillage forms a sowing layer with poor drainage, impacting root system development and yield. Transitioning to winter crops after harvest exposes soil to drought, increasing CO2 emission and perpetuating soil degradation. Overall, sustainable land management practices are crucial for mitigating drought effects and preserving soil health.

 A sustainable approach to soil restoration and plant production combines nature-inspired methods, traditional farming practices, and modern technologies. Increasing humus levels improves soil structure and water retention for root development. The initial step involves creating a permeable substrate to retain water in the lower soil layers, facilitating root growth.

Inspired by ancient techniques and observations from Vojvodina's soil assessments, the Podfol System aims to replicate natural fertility. Utilizing biodegradable mulch films buried beneath the soil surface, it fosters microbial processes for soil enrichment.

Modern irrigation methods, effective for clayey soils, often exacerbate issues in sandy clay soils, leading to nutrient leaching and CO2 emissions, further degrading soil quality.

The Podfol System's practical implementation involves an underground foil layering machine, which deposits biodegradable foils into the soil, creating a grid-like structure that retains water while allowing air circulation By mimicking natural processes and leveraging modern technology, the Podfol System offers a sustainable solution for soil restoration and improved agricultural productivity.                        

The potential users of the Podfol system installation service are territorially linked to areas with widespread degraded sandy clay soils threatened by drought. Conventional irrigation accelerates soil degradation and is economically unsustainable, limiting global agricultural production to only a quarter of the land. Production technologies are adjusted to both intensive investments, which are difficult to sustain, and extensive production. In both cases, profits decrease, and severe droughts lead to losses, endangering communities with poverty and depopulation. This global issue in the semi-arid belt of the Earth is characteristic of Serbia and the region's soils.

We plan to commence operations in the Serbian territory, specifically in the flatlands of Vojvodina. A pedological map was created to define the market territory in Vojvodina, covering 673,000 ha. Innovative projects lack existing market research, thus relying on indirect data.

Based on the demonstrated demand for irrigation systems in Vojvodina, with approximately 120,000 ha already irrigated and only around 20,000 ha realistically utilized, there is a potential market of 80,000 ha, of which 25-30,000 ha are not used due to soil degradation and significant water losses. Implementing the Podfol System installation service as supplementary irrigation on these surfaces has shown promising results in field trials.

Another target segment would be fruit and vegetable farmers using drip irrigation systems on approximately 2,000 ha. Besides increasing yields, this approach would reduce water and nutrient costs.

Farmers affected by drought recognize the need for irrigation but are hesitant to invest in innovative solutions due to past negative experiences. Introducing irrigation on sandy soils addresses the water shortage issue but exacerbates soil degradation due to nutrient leaching. The Podfol system's supplementary irrigation would mitigate these issues by reducing water and nutrient losses. Therefore, establishing demonstration field trials is proposed to show that the Podfol system enhances yields and reduces costs without altering or burdening production technology.

The team leader is a graduate engineer specialized in water management and land reclamation, who worked as a pedologist in the process of cadastral classification, assessment, and land evaluation until 2000. From then until retirement in 2024, he worked as an agricultural inspector for agricultural land. These duties were primarily carried out in the territory of Vojvodina, with headquarters in Zrenjanin. He possesses knowledge and experience in soil testing, laboratory analysis of samples, cartography, field design, and implementation activities, as well as management and leadership roles.

Employed in the civil service, he had some degree of financial security, but his positions made him ineligible for funding competitions, which were typically awarded only to social organizations for standardized programs. However, his work in the civil service since 1985 provided him with significant experience in soil testing as a pedologist during land consolidation. Subsequently, working in agricultural inspection familiarized him with legal regulations and the operations of the companies he supervised. Therefore, combining all these experiences into the market environment will provide a solid foundation for entrepreneurship and the establishment of a company.

The team leader has gained firsthand experience with farmers and their land plots through fieldwork. With his academic credentials and experience in developing several patents, he has redirected his research focus towards practical work in both the garage and the field.

Podfol is currently in the prototype phase for several reasons. Firstly, we want to test its functionality and effectiveness in real conditions before we launch it widely on the market. Secondly, during the prototype phase, we can gather feedback from users and improve the system's design before mass production. Additionally, this phase allows us to validate the concept and reduce financial risks since it's easier to correct any flaws in the early stages of development. Essentially, the prototype phase enables us to ensure that Podfol meets the expectations of users and the market before it goes into full production.

The trials have confirmed:

In drought years, compared to the control with the same irrigation norms, the Podfol system increased yields by over 100%. In the closed Podfol system established in 2015, under irrigation conditions with deep plowing, the humus layer of the soil is replenished by turning it to the surface.

Farmers in the community, due to reduced yields, have shown interest in irrigation or the Podfol system. However, at present, there is no offer to the buyer as there is no likelihood of subsidies for investments, unlike with other traditional systems.

The project aims to introduce and promote the innovative "PODFOL" technology in areas with depleted soil, present the results, and ultimately create soil resistant to climate extremes. Our intention is to offer "Podfol" to the world because the problems it addresses are global. We need assistance in creating high-quality prototypes of foil layers, as well as purchasing basic equipment and setting up the system. For the commercial implementation of the innovative system, it is necessary for the government to ensure an equal economic environment for farmers embracing innovations. Currently, the state promotes the sale of irrigation equipment through subsidies, but does not recognize soil quality, excessive water consumption, and the effects and harmful consequences of irrigation as criteria for subsidies. This situation has led to the paradox that the more investment is made in "irrigation", the less arable land there is. With the state providing 60% subsidies for investment in irrigation systems, "PODFOL" is disadvantaged because there is no subsidy for this system.

Direct promotion would be carried out in demonstration fields, demonstrating the installation of foils, establishing agricultural production, and showcasing the results. Moisture and humus levels in the soil would be monitored, and the results would be verified by differences in yields under controlled conditions. For the purpose of permanent promotion, we would purchase 3 plots up to 1 hectare in different locations, with different pedological characteristics, to test machine characteristics and testing variants. Project monitoring and evaluation, depending on the contract, would be conducted by a scientific institution from the United States interested in technology transfer to the USA.

Innovation is reflected in the scientific approach to the problem of land desertification in relation to similar projects that did not have an ecological approachParts of the ecosystem: climate (precipitation + temperature), vegetation - agricultural production, land and man and the social community, establish the balance of matter circulation (change of physical state and chemical composition) under the influence of solar energy. The heat energy of the Sun heats the soil and plants, which increase the evaporation and transpiration of water in the soil. In conditions of drought, photosynthesis decreases, and the increased presence of air in the soil at the expense of water breaks down the biomass to the gas component CO2. Without sufficient amounts of water in the soil, photosynthesis cannot regenerate biomass and microorganisms, which is reflected in reduced humus content

In Serbia and the region, a sustainable irrigation model has not been established. Most systems are either dysfunctional or partially functional due to soil salinization and waterlogging, making them economically unsustainable. "Podfol" is a permanent service of designing and installing foils in the soil, improving soil quality and increasing yields. "Podfol" systems are applied to arid lands, of which there are several hundred thousand hectares in Serbia. In practice and theory, these lands have been considered unsuitable for irrigation due to low water retention. Additional efforts will be needed to make farmers and agricultural experts aware of the advantages of this irrigation method. It will also have ecological significance by increasing green areas and enabling increased organic production. "Podfol" is a one-time investment, provided as a turnkey solution, with no additional maintenance or usage costs. By using "Podfol," fertilization, tillage, and reseeding costs are reduced. The project is the result of integrated knowledge. The foil laying machine is an invention with a patent publication, based on which a prototype was made. Scientific papers and trials have been published in the agronomy part of the project. Trial results have shown that the daily output of the machine in the initial phase is around or over 1 hectare. The trial was set up in 2008. Due to trial costs, standard research was not applied. The parcel owner continued to cultivate the land as usual, and the foils were laid with increased safety measures at a depth of 50 cm. It is also important to note that during the flood years of 2010 and 2014, no waterlogging occurred on "PODFOL" because the excess rainfall drained between the foils due to the permeability of the soil, which was provided by the foil spacing project. Based on visual observation of crops on "PODFOL" and the rest of the plot (control), greater crop vigor was noticed, and it was observed that foils could be laid "shallower and denser." The project officially started in 1989 with the submission of a complete patent application, and the first version of the machine was made in 1990. Over 25 years of project work, direct costs have reached several tens of thousands of euros, and the costs of invested labor are surely higher. Published papers, patent rights, technological advantages, and experiences provide indirect protection against competition, which is desirable to open up the market. The need for irrigation in extreme climate conditions is becoming more pronounced, so it is expected that demand will increase, improving the market environment.

Ecologically vulnerable communities, where areas with "depleted loose soils" are spreading and agricultural production is declining, experience economic and demographic collapse. Soil depletion and reduced vegetation endanger the environment, leading to sandstorms. Life in many communities becomes intolerable and hopeless, leading to the migration of active populations and abandonment of arable land. By implementing the Podfol system, which is economically sustainable, land desertification is prevented, yields are increased, opening up opportunities for agricultural development and economic empowerment of farmers.

Periodic severe droughts in Vojvodina are pronounced on sandy soils, and in the autumn period, besides reduced yields, crops, crop residues, and grass vegetation with reeds dry out. Fires in these areas are frequent and uncontrollable. The damages to the community are immeasurable, especially concerning further soil degradation. The Podfol system, even with minimal areas retaining green vegetation, would be the best barrier to the spread of fires and their localization

The Podfol system can significantly change the ecological environment of vulnerable communities by establishing stable agricultural activities and creating forest communities in one of the variants of implementing the Podfol system.

Podfol, as a biological soil restoration system, enables an increase in the field's water capacity, i.e., the soil's water reserve. It establishes a balance in the decomposition of organic matter by microbiological activities for plant nourishment and humus formation. This humification process binds carbon in the soil as a biological factor in the material circulation chain, where it permanently increases in the soil in a fixed state, while decreasing in the atmosphere. In the Podfol system, stable soil moisture permanently increases the humus content, i.e., carbon retention in the soil.

A sustainable ecological solution for soil and crop production restoration would be based on solutions from nature, the application of positive experiences from traditional agriculture, and alignment with modern technologies. Increasing the humus content would improve soil structure and predominantly retain water solution for root system development. The initial step to ensure and retain water solution in the lower drained part of the field would be the formation of a controlled permeable base where a suitable capillary capacity for root system development would be formed.

 Biological soil restoration can be established on degraded soils, but only in favorable rainy years with forest vegetation and nitrogen-fixing plants. In drought years, biological processes are interrupted, and vegetation dries up.

 The idea of this project emerged from field soil investigations for cadastral classification and assessment in Vojvodina from 1985 to the present. Alluvial sandy loams on clayey substrates next to rivers had better yields, like oases in deserts. Analyzing systems in ancient Egypt, I concluded that flood silt renewed soil fertility through cultivation, and irrigation water control in the canal network by laying down papyrus leaves and trunks from the Nile swamps. The shallow terraces of the Incas in the Andes are an example of water control on a stone base and water drainage on multiple terraces.

 Modern irrigation technologies developed on clayey loams are mostly effective in combating drought, while the same ones on sandy loams require frequent watering, increasing nutrient leaching and CO2 emissions, degrading it. The Podfol system, as supplementary irrigation in irrigation systems with water losses through filtration, will enable vegetation development in dry periods and is suitable for green future programs.

 The Podfol system forms a field to improve water and nutrient accumulation. The conceptual solution of the Podfol system resembles biodegradable mulch foils on the ground, buried and turned upside down, below the field (like a mirror image), at a depth of 30-70 cm. Biodegradable foils would have an initial role: clayey substrates, plowshares, papyrus leaves, and stone substrates until microbial humification processes are initiated and formed in the soil.

1 full time

1 part time

Team leader began working on the project 35 years ago. The patent application for the "Underground Foil Layer" was submitted on August 28, 1989, meeting requirements and published in the Patent Gazette of the SFRY. It debuted at the 57th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad in 1990, winning a gold medal. The scientific part was published in the proceedings "Land Reclamation and Water" of the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad in  2011, confirming authenticity and innovation priority. Despite being unmatched in Serbia, it lacked government support, leading to the addition of manager Zdravko Stojanov in 2016.

Ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our team is fundamental to our values and mission. Our leadership team reflects diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise, fostering innovation and creativity. We are committed to creating an environment where all team members feel welcomed, respected, and valued.

Our team comprises individuals from various ethnicities, genders, ages, and cultural backgrounds. We believe that diversity drives innovation and better decision-making. We strive to ensure equity by providing equal opportunities for growth and advancement, addressing disparities, and eliminating systemic barriers.

To achieve our DEI goals, we have implemented several initiatives:

1. Recruitment Practices: We actively recruit from diverse talent pools, ensuring job postings reach underrepresented groups. Our hiring process includes unconscious bias training for interviewers to ensure fair assessment.

2. Training and Development: We provide ongoing training on diversity, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership to all staff members. This ensures awareness and understanding of DEI principles throughout the organization.

3. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs):We support the formation of ERGs, where employees can connect, share experiences, and advocate for inclusion. These groups provide a platform for underrepresented voices to be heard.

4. Flexible Work Policies: We offer flexible work arrangements to accommodate diverse needs, including remote work options, flexible hours, and parental leave policies.

Our commitment to DEI is ongoing, and we recognize that there is always room for improvement. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, we aim to create a workplace where everyone can thrive and contribute their best. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just values to uphold, but essential elements of our success as a team and as an organization.

Our business model revolves around providing value to our customers through innovative irrigation solutions. Here's how we deliver value to our key customers and users:

1. Value for Users:

   - Improved Irrigation Efficiency: The Podfol system enables users to utilize water more efficiently by using specialized foil to retain moisture beneath the soil and facilitate capillary movement of water to the plant roots. This leads to reduced water consumption and increased crop yields.

   - Soil Conservation: The Podfol system contributes to soil preservation by stabilizing soil moisture and increasing organic matter content, thereby improving soil fertility and reducing the risk of degradation.

   - Environmental Sustainability: By reducing water and chemical inputs for irrigation, the Podfol system helps mitigate the negative environmental impacts of agricultural production.

2. Key Customers and Users:

   - Farmers: Our main customers are farmers who seek to enhance irrigation efficiency, increase crop yields, and preserve soil health.

   - Agricultural Cooperatives and Organizations: These institutions can also benefit from the Podfol system to improve agricultural productivity on larger land areas.

3. Products/Services:

   - Podfol System: Our flagship product includes specialized foil for moisture retention beneath the soil and technology for optimizing irrigation scheduling.

   - Installation and Training: We offer installation services for the Podfol system and provide training to farmers on its usage.

4. Delivery Method:

   - Direct Sales: We sell the Podfol system directly to farmers through direct distribution channels.

   - Partnerships: Partnering with agricultural cooperatives and organizations to implement the Podfol system on larger land areas.

5. Why They Want or Need It:

   - Increased Yields: Farmers want to boost their crop yields to generate higher revenues.

   - Resource Conservation: With limited water and soil resources, farmers seek solutions that enable more efficient water usage and soil conservation.

   - Environmental Awareness: Growing environmental consciousness drives farmers to seek sustainable solutions like the Podfol system.

Our business model revolves around providing farmers and agricultural organizations with innovative irrigation solutions that improve efficiency, increase yields, and promote environmental sustainability

Our plan to become financially sustainable is based on multiple revenue sources and strategic partnerships. Here's how we plan to generate income:

1. Sales of Podfol Systems:

   - We generate revenue by selling our Podfol irrigation systems directly to farmers and agricultural organizations. The income from these sales covers production costs and contributes to our overall financial sustainability.

2. Installation and Training Services:

   - In addition to selling the Podfol systems, we offer installation and training services to ensure proper implementation and usage. These services generate additional revenue and enhance the value proposition for our customers.

3. Partnerships and Collaborations:

   - We collaborate with agricultural cooperatives, government agencies, and NGOs to implement Podfol systems on larger scales. These partnerships often involve joint funding or sponsorship, providing financial support for our projects.

4. Grant Funding and Subsidies:

   - We actively seek grant funding and subsidies from government agencies, research institutions, and international organizations to support our research and development efforts.

5. Investment Capital:

   - We are considering raising investment capital from venture capitalists or impact investors to expand our operations and enter new markets.

Our various revenue streams, strategic partnerships, and plans for fundraising demonstrate our ability to become financially sustainable. We will continue with innovations, market expansion, and the establishment of strategic alliances to cover expected costs and achieve long-term financial viability.