Source: DTE
Context: Mariangela Hungria, Brazilian microbiologist, won the 2025 World Food Prize for pioneering biological nitrogen fixation and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers.
- Her innovations sparked Brazil’s ‘Micro Green Revolution’, significantly boosting crop yields and lowering input costs.
About Micro Green Revolution:
- What is It?
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- A movement led by microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, focusing on biological solutions to agricultural productivity, particularly microbial seed and soil inoculants.
- Key Features:
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- Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF): Using microorganisms like rhizobia and Azospirillum brasilense to naturally convert atmospheric nitrogen into soil-absorbable form.
- Reduced chemical fertilizer dependency: Saving farmers up to $40 billion annually in Brazil.
- Enhanced crop productivity:
- Soybean yield surged from 15 million tonnes (1979) to 173 million tonnes (2025).
- Common beans and pastures saw significant yield gains.
- Restoring degraded lands: First microbial inoculants for pasture grasses, improving biomass and livestock forage.
About World Food Prize:
- What is It?
-
- The World Food Prize is the most prestigious global award recognizing contributions to enhancing food quantity, quality, and accessibility.
- Established: In 1986 by Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, supported initially by General Foods Corporation.
- Administered by: World Food Prize Foundation, headquartered at the Hall of Laureates, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
- First Laureate: S. Swaminathan (1987) – Pioneer of India’s Green Revolution.
- Award Features:
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- $500,000 cash prize, diploma, and commemorative sculpture by Saul Bass.
- Awarded annually in Des Moines, Iowa, during the Borlaug Dialogue Symposium.
- Recognizes individuals in agriculture, nutrition, food technology, policy, soil science, and hunger alleviation.
