Collapsed. Recoverable. Resilient. Regenerative.

Four rungs. Six indicators. One clear answer:

Nutrient availability is an emergent property of active carbon cycling and microbial function. Until a soil develops the biological infrastructure to cycle nutrients, input optimisation can’t deliver results. The Soil Function Ladder™ acts as a readiness filter — distinguishing soils that need repair from soils that are ready to optimise — so recommendations land on ground that can actually use them.

Traditional soil tests give you numbers; The Soil Function Ladder™ gives you a Road Map.

“We have access to more data than ever before — and soils are still in decline. Data isn’t the problem. Direction is. We cut through the noise and give our clients what they actually need: a common-sense roadmap to building better soil.”
— Josef Winter

How the Ladder Works

The Soil Function Ladder™ assesses six diagnostic indicators across chemistry, physics, and biology—then classifies your soil into one of four functional states:

Collapsed (0) – Critical dysfunction. Inputs are wasted. Requires structural recovery before productivity is possible.

Recoverable (1) – Responding to management. Focus on building reserves and stability.

Resilient (2) – Functionally stable. Can handle normal stress and deliver consistent performance.

Regenerative (3) – Self-improving. Builds fertility, sequesters carbon, requires minimal intervention.

Your soil isn't "good" or "bad"—it's on a rung. And every rung has a next step. The Soil Function Ladder™ gives you the map & the territory.

Who Uses the Soil Function Ladder™?

Farmers & Agronomists

Municipalities & Urban Forestry

Nurseries & Suppliers

Stop guessing. Start improving.

→ Prioritise fields for intervention

→ Track progress season-to-season

→ Align soil health with profitability

Plant with confidence.

→ Assess sites before tree establishment

→ Specify soil standards in procurement

→ Reduce replanting costs

Verify quality. Command premium pricing.

→ Certify production soil health

→ Differentiate in competitive markets

→ Build trust with demanding clients

Why We Built This

"Over a decade of working with farmers on collapsed soils, I've seen the same pattern: We apply regenerative practices on soils that aren't ready. You can't jump from Collapsed to Regenerative in one move. It's costly, and it doesn't work.

The Soil Function Ladder™ gives you an honest appraisal—where you are, what's realistic next, and how to track real progress."

— Josef Winter, Founder, 59degrees Soil Architects