Whilst there are commercially available sensors for measuring and monitoring soil conditions (e.g. soil moisture) and properties there has been little innovation in the technologies used for such applications. This short course aims to highlight how technologies from other disciplines can be applied for future sensing of soil chemical and physical properties (e.g. using fiber optics). We also showcase how tinkering with simple off-the-shelf sensors linked to Arduinos has the potential to develop affordable sensor networks. We discuss the context of applying innovative technologies for real time measurements for soil conditions in agricultural contexts to aid sustainable intensification.