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About Us
Rooted in experience.
Evolving with insight.
Founded in 2005
Ecosoil is based in Grabouw, Western Cape, with distribution across South Africa and selected SADC countries.
We continue to evolve - guided by research, field trials, and farmer feedback — and remain committed to making soil health practical, measurable, and economically viable.
Our Story
Ecosoil was founded by Jako Pieterse after a defining realisation while managing a conventional fruit farm in the late 1990s.
Despite applying best‑practice agronomy and modern technology, the system steadily lost function. Pest and disease pressure increased, soils compacted, water infiltration declined, and fertiliser dependence rose. Clear symptoms of a biologically depleted system.
A turning point came in 2000 during a farming study group on organic agriculture. Exposure to microbial ecology and root exudate dynamics revealed the underlying issue: soil biology had been unintentionally stripped from the system.
What followed was a practical, field‑driven process of rebuilding soil life. Compost teas, biological inputs, reduced disturbance, and deliberate feeding of soil organisms through residues and plant diversity slowly restored system function. The results were decisive: pest pressure stabilised, compaction disappeared, nitrogen inputs dropped by roughly 70%, and yields exceeded previous benchmarks.
By 2005, it was clear this work demanded full‑time focus. Ecosoil was established to help farmers restore soil function faster, more reliably, and with fewer costly detours.
Why Ecosoil?
Farming With Nature
We work with biological processes rather than against them, using ecology as a design framework.
Our approach is shaped by real farms, real constraints, and measurable outcomes. Not theory alone.
Grounded in Experience
We address root causes instead of symptoms, strengthening the whole system rather than isolated components.
Systems Thinking
Soil life is the engine of productivity. Chemistry supports biology, not the other way around.
Biology First
Our programmes and inputs are researched, field‑tested, and continuously refined through practice.
Proven and Evolving
Our Purpose
Ecosoil enables farmers to build profitable, resilient, and regenerative agricultural systems by restoring biological function.
We do this by:
Rehabilitating degraded soils
Replacing purely chemical dependency with biologically aligned alternatives
Improving nutrient‑use efficiency and system balance
Transferring knowledge to support confident, informed decisions
Our inputs are designed to be transformative. Converting underperforming soils into productive, living systems while supporting long‑term carbon accumulation and climate resilience.
How We Operate
We work co‑creatively with nature, recognising that healthy ecosystems depend on balance, diversity, and intelligent biological interactions.
Our approach respects the full system. Soil, plant, farmer, and landscape. The quality of our raw materials, the intent of our people, the integrity of our processes, and our commitment to consistency all directly influence performance.
By aligning agricultural practice with natural rhythms and biological intelligence, we help farmers achieve lasting gains with fewer inputs and greater resilience.
Our Company
Since 2005, Ecosoil has supported farmers across diverse production systems in transitioning toward biologically functional and regenerative practices.
We continue to evolve, integrating new insights from research, on‑farm trials, and farmer feedback to refine our programmes, inputs and strategy.
Ecosoil is based in Grabouw, Western Cape, with distribution across South Africa and selected SADC countries.
Our Team
Working in Harmony with Nature
Our team combines practical farming insight, scientific understanding, and a shared commitment to regenerative agriculture. Together, we support farmers with honesty, integrity, and solutions that work with nature rather than against it.
