Green Earth Program – Earth Observation-Supported Soil Rehabilitation in Drylands using Biological Soil Crusts

Jessica Friedrichs, Ines Wagner, Andreas Burr, Pia Swatkowski, Marvin Braun, Olga Spang, Charis Benetatos

Blue Horizon S.à.r.l., Betzdorf, Luxembourg

Keywords: Induced biological soil crusts; soil health; soil biodiversity; carbon sequestration; dryland ecosystems; Earth Observation; AI

The ‘Green Earth Program’ is an end-to-end Earth Observation and biotechnology-driven framework. It is designed to combat dryland degradation and desertification through the rehabilitation of soil functions and ecosystem resilience. Built around five integrated stages - identify, analyse, produce, treat and monitor - the programme aims to bring life back to soils in arid and semi-arid environments.

At its core, the approach leverages induced biological soil crusts as a foundational rehabilitation mechanism to improve soil fertility, stabilise surfaces and initiate natural recovery processes on the microorganism level. A locally produced, GMO-free mix of active microorganisms is cultivated in scalable, energy- and cost-efficient raceway pond cultures. These raceway ponds are powered on-site by renewable energy, so that CO2 is captured from the atmosphere already during cultivation. Once applied, the biological soil crusts enhance nitrogen cycling and increase soil organic carbon through photosynthetic carbon fixation. This key pioneer step starts over a biological succession and progressively re-establishes soil functions such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration, erosion control and nutrient retention. It thereby reverses degradation trajectories in drylands.

Earth Observation and Artificial Intelligence run through the whole framework, guiding from initial assessment to long-term monitoring. They reveal where degradation is occurring by monitoring for example soil health parameters, inform how and when treatments are applied and track the recovery of treated areas over time as the biological soil crusts establish and grow.

In the longer term, the formation of stable biological soil crust systems is intended to create massive, long-term CO2 sinks and form the basis for higher plant communities. Furthermore, the Green Earth Program can also provide an ecological foundation for future land-use systems. For example, it can support drought-affected agroforestry and orchard systems (olive, argan) from drought and erosion, through soil stabilisation and increased water retention. It can also protect dust-affected photovoltaic installations by stabilising surrounding soils against wind erosion.

By combining bioprocess engineering with advanced monitoring, the Green Earth Program offers a scalable pathway for rehabilitating soils and dryland ecosystems, through measurable soil health improvements.