South America Soil Monitoring Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Market Trends and Insights

Growth of Soil Moisture and Salinity Monitoring

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported in its Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils report (2024) that salt-affected soils covered 1,381 million hectares, or 10.7% of the total global land area, and named Argentina among the 10 countries accounting for 70% of the world's salt-affected soils^[1]. The same report estimated that 10% of irrigated cropland and 10% of rainfed cropland were affected by salinity, although uncertainty remained high due to limited data availability, a gap that directly supports demand for field-level salinity monitoring. Moisture stress added to this demand, as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported in October 2024 that Brazil's National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) called the drought the most intense and widespread Brazil had experienced, with the number of municipalities facing extreme drought expected to rise from 216 in September to 293 by the end of October. A field study by São Paulo State University (UNESP), published in Smart Agricultural Technology (2025), found that low-cost capacitive soil moisture sensors achieved higher water use productivity than tensiometers (10.95 g/L versus 9.82 g/L) and concluded that they offered a viable, accessible option for smallholder farmers. Together, high salinity exposure, severe drought conditions, and proven low-cost sensing options are increasing the intensity of this driver across South America.

Water Scarcity and Rainfall Variability

Water stress is making continuous soil moisture information more important for commercial farm management in the South America soil monitoring market. In 2024, Brazil’s National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA) issued water-scarcity declarations across five major hydrographic areas, including the Paraguay, Madeira, Purus, Tapajós, and Xingu systems, increasing the need for closer monitoring of local water conditions and supporting demand for water-management technologies. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) uses satellite monitoring in Brazil and Argentina to track crop water stress using its Agricultural Stress Index ^[2]. This operating environment narrows the acceptable interval between field checks where planting, irrigation, and harvest schedules are sensitive to moisture conditions. Chilean fruit and viticulture growers also require more reliable soil data where rainfall patterns have placed pressure on irrigation planning. Soil monitoring systems help turn water management from an occasional field observation into a regular operating process.

Adoption of Connected Soil Monitoring Platforms

The South America soil monitoring market is increasingly shaped by sensors connected to cloud-based tools that support remote field management. In 2025, CropX Technologies, Inc. operated in Brazil through its exclusive distributor, OXYcrop, linking sensor readings to irrigation scheduling and nutrient management. Lacuna Space Ltd. and Wyld Networks AB, in collaboration with The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), expanded their work with EMBRAPA's Agnest initiative in Jaguariúna, São Paulo, during May 2025 to provide direct sensor-to-satellite connectivity. Connected systems retain historical readings, calibration data, and field decision records in a single environment. That arrangement can make a supplier relationship more durable because switching platforms requires data transfer and recalibration. It also supports service revenue because growers need continuing interpretation, maintenance, and connectivity support.

Export-Oriented Traceability Requirements

Traceability needs are adding a compliance role to the South America soil monitoring market alongside its agronomic role. In 2025, the World Resources Institute highlighted Brazil’s efforts to strengthen farm-level traceability for soy and beef through platforms that integrate government and supply-chain data, including the Agro Brasil + Sustentável Platform. Soil data support records of water management, inputs, and field conditions where buyers request stronger production documentation. This requirement can bring mid-sized export producers into the addressable customer base even when they did not previously treat monitoring as a priority purchase. Commercial suppliers can therefore position compatible field data systems as part of a wider recordkeeping process.

High Installation and Service Costs

Installation and ongoing support costs limit the adoption of soil monitoring in the South American market outside large commercial farms. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) identified the cost of sensors, gateways, drones, and network connections as a barrier for smallholder precision farming in Chile. A commercial system can also require calibration, subscription access, technician visits, and periodic replacement of field hardware. These requirements make the purchasing decision more difficult for farms with uneven cash flow or modest acreage. Cooperative procurement can reduce the burden by spreading equipment and service costs across members. Suppliers that offer scalable packages and local support are more likely to reach this customer group without compromising measurement quality.

Soil Variability and Calibration Complexity

Soil variability and calibration complexity can reduce confidence in readings when systems are deployed without local adjustment. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and other regional markets have soil conditions that differ sharply in texture, salinity, elevation, and cropping patterns. Multi-depth systems also require careful placement to ensure that readings represent the root zone that matters for a crop. The National Institute of Agricultural Technology Argentina (INTA) 2025 open design for a 3-depth capacitive sensor highlights the importance of depth-specific measurement in practical farm use^[3]. Users may delay adoption if they cannot access technicians or agronomists who can validate readings against local conditions. This favors suppliers with calibration services, but it can lengthen the sales process and increase implementation costs.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

South America Soil Monitoring Market Segment Analysis

Hardware held 58% of the South America soil monitoring market in 2025 because physical sensors, gateways, and field installation are required before software and advisory services can operate. Hardware purchases are particularly important across large open-field farms that need multiple sensing points. In-situ devices measure conditions such as moisture, salinity, temperature, and bulk density at depths relevant to crop management. The initial capital requirement concentrates revenue in the hardware layer at the start of a deployment. Software remains strategically important because analytics, interface design, and compatibility can distinguish similar sensing equipment.

Services are forecast to expand at a 15.2% CAGR during 2026-2031, driven by demand for installation, calibration, data interpretation, and support. The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA)'s Semear Digital work in 2025 combined Internet of Things research with agricultural automation and remote sensing activity. The program reflects the technical assistance needed to convert raw sensing data into useful farm actions. Subscription models can also link monitoring data, agronomic interpretation, and customer service over the life of a system. This model gives suppliers more predictable recurring revenue than a one-time hardware sale. It also makes the South America soil monitoring industry more dependent on local technical capacity.

In-situ sensors held 52% of the South America soil monitoring market size in 2025, as they provide direct measurements at the root zone. Unlike satellite imagery, which cannot provide depth-specific readings, in-situ sensors capture moisture, salinity, temperature, and bulk density at the depths where crops draw water and nutrients. This measurement capability supports the leading position of field sensors across commercial farms and research settings. Portable probes and test kits also serve consultants, institutes, and smallholder groups that prioritize mobility and lower initial cost.

Remote sensing platforms are forecast to grow at a 16.4% CAGR during 2026-2031 as they combine broad-area observation with ground data. In April 2026, Embrapa Territorial, a unit of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), developed a satellite- and artificial-intelligence-based method to map irrigated areas using soil moisture indices across five agricultural poles in Goiás and Mato Grosso. The method shows how remote data can complement rather than replace in-field sensing. Large properties can use these platforms to prioritize field visits and identify areas that require closer review. Commercial demand is strongest when suppliers integrate imagery with verified sensor readings and usable farm recommendations. This combination can reduce the cost of monitoring extensive farms while retaining field-level accuracy where it is needed.

Wireless connectivity held 73% of the South America soil monitoring market in 2025 and is forecast to expand at a 14.7% CAGR during 2026-2031. The category includes low-power wide-area networks, cellular connections, and satellite links. Wireless systems avoid the cost and disruption of running cables across broad agricultural areas. They are useful for locations where farm managers need field data to flow to a central platform. The relative importance of each protocol varies with farm size, topography, available power, and distance from cellular networks.

Satellite links are increasingly relevant to remote interior areas where terrestrial coverage remains limited. The 150-sensor deployment reported by Lacuna Space Ltd. in 2025 showed a commercial use case for satellite-connected soil moisture monitoring in Brazil. Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) can be suitable for concentrated farm clusters where operators can build local network coverage. Wired systems continue to play a role in research facilities, protected cultivation, and reference sites where data reliability requirements are high. A 2025 study in Smart Agricultural Technology demonstrated LoRaWAN-based agricultural monitoring at altitudes of up to 4,000 meters in Peru’s high-Andean region, achieving reliable communication over distances of up to 10 km and demonstrating the viability of low-power networks in remote, connectivity-constrained agricultural areas. Connectivity choice, therefore, remains a commercial design decision rather than a single technology standard.

Open field held 78% of the South America soil monitoring market share in 2025, supported by soybean, sugarcane, corn, and grain systems across the region. Large farm footprints require monitoring across variable conditions and multiple soil depths. Soil sensors can guide irrigation timing and support more consistent assessment of field conditions than periodic manual checks. A 2025 study by researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), based on data from 148 soybean farmers in São Paulo, found that adoption of precision agriculture technologies was influenced by farm size, access to information, consultancy, and farmers' education. The technologies assessed included grid soil sampling and variable-rate application. This supports the role of open-field production as the largest application

Protected cultivation is forecast to expand at a 17.1% CAGR during 2026-2031 as horticulture systems require precise control of moisture, electrical conductivity, and pH. These systems are relevant to greenhouse production in Chile, southern Brazil, and Argentina. The application has a smaller installed base than open fields, but controlled conditions increase the value of frequent and accurate readings. Forestry is a smaller use case that supports replanting decisions and soil-condition assessment in plantation systems. Each application requires different sensor placement, connectivity, and service arrangements.

Large commercial farms held 62% of the South America soil monitoring market in 2025 because they can fund multi-year deployments and recurring data services. Their scale allows the cost of gateways, calibration, and technician visits to be distributed across more hectares. Brazilian agribusinesses in Mato Grosso and Goiás have experience with precision tools and can treat soil monitoring as part of capital planning. Large grain and oilseed operations in Argentina are also a core target for multi-parameter systems. These farms require equipment that can operate reliably across large fields and connect to existing operating workflows.

Smallholder and cooperative farms are forecast to grow at a 16.3% CAGR during 2026-2031, supported by pooled procurement and shared technical support. Cooperatives standardize purchasing and make training available to members who cannot fund independent deployments. Research institutes and universities remain important early adopters because they validate equipment and develop local calibration expertise. Government bodies and nongovernmental organizations also procure systems through watershed, soil health, and low-carbon agriculture programs. These customer groups expand demand but often use procurement processes that differ from those of commercial farms.

Geography Analysis

Brazil held 64% of the South America soil monitoring market in 2025, reflecting the scale of its commercial crop systems and the need for monitoring across extensive agricultural land. the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) launched Plataforma Saúde do Solo BR in November 2025 with data from 56,000 samples across 1,502 municipalities. This national reference base gives farms and suppliers a stronger framework for assessing soil conditions. Brazil's ABC+ Low Carbon Agriculture Plan also supports sensor-based farming through credit and technical assistance, as described in the supplied draft. Water scarcity declarations in 2024 further increased the value of reliable moisture data for farm management. Brazil is therefore the largest commercial setting for sensor, platform, and connectivity suppliers in the region.

Chile is forecast to expand at a 16.2% CAGR during 2026-2031, making it the fastest-growing geography in the South America soil monitoring market. Export-oriented fruit, wine, and horticulture production gives growers a direct incentive to document water and soil management. The 2025 Sateliot and LemSystem partnership introduced satellite Internet of Things connectivity for remote agricultural sensing locations in Chile. INIA and Corfo also conducted a 2025 sensor demonstration for table grape producers in the country's central zone. These activities support adoption among growers that need clear evidence before making a first investment.

Argentina has meaningful regional demand because grain and oilseed farms in the Pampas already use precision agriculture practices. The Pampas produced more than 70% of national grain output according to the supplied draft, which makes the region important for commercial sales. Import controls and currency restrictions can limit formal purchases of specialized hardware. The National Institute of Agricultural Technology Argentina (INTA)'s 2025 open-source sensor design and its SEPA satellite platform build technical awareness among producers. The rest of South America includes Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia, where smaller farms and uneven infrastructure support use cases for low-power networks and satellite links. IICA technology-transfer activity provides a basis for testing and adapting solutions across these varied operating environments.