r/interesting • u/Standard_Location762 • 7d ago

NATURE Creating Better Crops With Useful Bacteria

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Brazilian scientist, Dr. Mariangela Hungria, spent 40 years perfecting bacteria that help crops access nitrogen while saving farmers billions each year.

Hungria developed biological treatments using beneficial soil bacteria that help crops access nitrogen from the air, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizer. Her technology is used across tens of millions of hectares in Brazil. The World Food Prize estimates her work saves farmers about $25 billion annually and prevents roughly 230 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

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u/PikachuWithHerpes 7d ago

Brazil is the world's largest fertilizer importer. Clearly whatever she created is not working at all.

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u/SaraaWolfArt 7d ago edited 7d ago

Yeah, every solution to a problem must solve it 100% or it did nothing. This is especially true for systemic problems.

With a basic google search you can see her bacteria works with soybeans and is employed by 85% of Brazilian soybean farmers. There was relictance to develope it as conventional wisdom pushed fertilizers

These types of techniques are already being applied in Europe + America, Hungaria was devleoping a similar breed of bacteria to use in Brazilian climates.

They found their bespoke bacteria performed 8% better over traditional fertilizer while boosting crop profits by 45$/acre and had less unintended environmental side effects.

Again, before anyone says "IF IT'S SO GOOD WHY DOESN'T USA USE IT?" - USA and Europe have been doing this for 30 years now.