Green Fertiliser Breakthrough Wins $2M Food Planet Prize 2025

A Swedish startup, NitroCapt, has won the prestigious 2025 Food Planet Prize for its pioneering green fertiliser that uses plasma technology and renewable energy to create nitrogen fertilisers sustainably. This disruptive innovation has the potential to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from fertiliser production and improve food security amid geopolitical and climate challenges. The $2 million prize, awarded by the Curt Bergfors Foundation, will help scale the innovation globally.

Why in News?

NitroCapt won the 2025 Food Planet Prize, the world’s largest environmental award. Its green fertiliser technology offers a fossil-free, locally produced alternative to conventional nitrogen fertilisers. The win brings global attention to innovative climate-resilient solutions in agriculture amid rising concerns about food security, emissions, and geopolitical dependencies.

About the Innovation

• Developed by: Swedish physicist Gustaf Forsberg, founder of NitroCapt.
• Technology: Uses plasma to oxidise nitrogen from air, powered by green electricity, eliminating fossil fuel use.
• Goal: Cut emissions, reduce energy usage by 10x, and allow local fertiliser production.

Global Context

• Nitrogen fertilisers are responsible for 2.7% of global CO₂ emissions—on par with aviation.
• Fertilisers contribute to 50% of the world’s food production, making sustainable alternatives essential.
• Geopolitical issues, like the Ukraine war, have disrupted fertiliser supplies in Europe.

Benefits of NitroCapt’s Technology

• Emission Reduction: Potential to drastically cut greenhouse gas output from the fertiliser sector.
• Energy Efficient: Uses 90% less energy than conventional methods.
• Food Security: Local production makes countries less dependent on global supply chains.
• Resilience: Protects against supply shocks due to conflict or trade disruption.

Pilot & Future Plans

• Pilot plant: Operational in Uppsala, Sweden.
• Being tested at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Forsberg’s own farm.
• Plans to scale up commercially by end of 2026 with the prize money.
• Europe will be the initial target market via farmer-owned cooperatives.
• In other regions, governments, NGOs, or private companies may collaborate.

About the Food Planet Prize

• Founded by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in 2019, Stockholm.
• Recognises future-impact innovations aimed at reducing the environmental impact of food systems.
• Prize: $2 million (world’s largest environmental award).
• Jury: 10 international experts, co-chaired by Johan Rockström and Magnus Nilsson.

Other Finalists

• Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies (USA) – Uses fungi and microbes to boost crop resilience and yields.
• Astungkara Way (Indonesia) – Reinvents rice farming with regenerative practices.
• Pride on Our Plates (China) – Reduces food waste using behavioural and data tools.
• Semion (Argentina) – Uses plant-based methods to reduce pesticide dependence.
• Virtual Irrigation Academy (Australia) – Smart soil sensors for smallholder farmers to conserve water.