Can bacteria be bred to feed crops, and do it for a fraction of the cost of chemical fertilizer? This week on the show, Dr. Cassandra Quave talks with Dr. Mariangela Hungria, a soil microbiologist at Embrapa (the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), 2025 World Food Prize laureate, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026. They discuss how nitrogen-fixing bacteria partner with legumes, grasses, and sugarcane, and why chemical fertilizers added to the soil drive water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Hungria explains how her work with soybeans helped make Brazil a global leader in agricultural biologicals. She shares field-trial results, the economic and climate savings, and what it takes to bring beneficial microbes to crops like tomatoes and potatoes.

They also cover restoring degraded pastures, bacteria that help crops tolerate drought, and why synthetic microbial communities are still hard to build. Dr. Hungria’s message is that biologicals can already replace much of the chemical input in farming, and that they can work in conventional and organic agriculture.

#SustainableAgriculture #SoilHealth #SoilMicrobiome #NitrogenFixation #Biologicals #RegenerativeAgriculture #FoodSecurity #WomenInScience #WorldFoodPrize #Microbiology #FoodScience

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