From Soil to Spotlight: Mariangela Hungria Wins 2025 World Food Prize

In a world searching for sustainable solutions, Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria has found the answer in some of nature’s smallest wonders—microbes. For over 40 years, Hungria has worked quietly but relentlessly with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), helping transform Brazil’s farming practices from heavy chemical use to nature-powered, biological methods. Her groundbreaking work has not only improved soil health but also boosted food production in an eco-friendly way. In recognition of her life’s work, Hungria has been awarded the prestigious 2025 World Food Prize, along with a $500,000 award from the Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation.She brought crops and bacteria together in a graceful dance—one where tiny soil microbes turned the air’s nitrogen into nourishment for plants, eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. Under her guidance, this natural partnership helped Brazil’s soybean production soar—from just 15 million tonnes in 1979 to an astonishing 173 million tonnes by 2025. Thanks to this quiet revolution beneath the soil, the once-humble soybean has risen to become the crown jewel of Brazil’s agriculture.Microbes, Magic & a World Food PrizeCall it a microbial uprising. Mariangela Hungria’s vision of a “Micro Green Revolution” pays homage to Norman Borlaug’s legendary movement—but hers comes with a microscopic twist. She turned rhizobia into friendly roommates for legumes, helping plants thrive and boosting yields by up to 8%, all without relying on synthetic fertilizers. At Embrapa Soja, her scientific touch led to over 30 innovations—from bacteria-enriched seeds to soil treatments that brought life back underground.Her trailblazing efforts didn’t stop at soybeans. Maize, wheat, rice, and even pasture grasses all benefited from her microbial breakthroughs. The impact? Brazilian farmers now save a staggering $40 billion a year in input costs. With more than 70 million doses of her microbial blends applied across 15 million hectares annually, Hungria has shown the world that the future of farming rests in the power of nature’s tiniest allies.Hungria introduced the world to a bacterial power couple. Her research discovered that blending rhizobia with Azospirillum could double yield increases in beans and soybeans. Azospirillum brought more to the soil party, phytohormones, nitrogen uptake enhancers, and a flair for boosting crop vitality. Hungria’s inoculants turned farming into a bio-choreographed masterpiece where plants grew taller, stronger, and healthier under the invisible guidance of soil symbiotes. These microbial cocktails weren’t just saving the earth, they were feeding it with life and intelligence.From Depleted Lands to Brazil’s Lush Landscapes! Now, Hungria’s microbial revolution marches into new territory: Brazil’s degraded pastures. Her latest innovation, microbial inoculants for grass pastures has delivered a 22% biomass boost, transforming tired turf into lush, nutritious cattle forage. This is a tale of regeneration, of breathing life into land left for dead. As a teacher at the State University of Paraná and the Federal University of Technology of Paraná, Hungria has sowed her passion into minds as well as soils with a message :  if we listen to nature’s quiet whispers, if we trust in the smallest of allies, we can grow not just food, but a future.