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Farmers around the world face a pressing problem: The equipment they use to till, plant, and harvest their fields is killing their margins. Studies have estimated that soil compaction can reduce yields by 20% to 60%<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plowing can help, but it\u2019s a laborious and expensive task that harms soil health in different ways. Muju Earth<\/a> has developed an alternative, the Aeropod, that automatically aerates the soil without machinery or robotics. The startup says it can promote better soil health while cutting farmers\u2019 tilling costs by half or more.<\/p>\n The device is \u201cbuilt like a seed, it sows like a seed, and it ships like a seed,\u201d Ifeoluwa Afolayan, the company\u2019s co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. The device is about the size of a fingernail, and farmers drop it in the soil alongside their seeds using the same equipment. There\u2019s no need to till the soil in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just really seems like a no-brainer,\u201d Afolayan said.<\/p>\n After the Aeropod is exposed to a combination of temperature, pressure, and moisture, it bursts open, loosening the soil and creating small channels that let air, water and roots move through it more easily.<\/p>\n \n