Crop nutrition also has its effect on sustainability, and markets are already demanding it, such as the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, which explicitly calls for integrated nutrient management, that fertilizers be applied so that nutrients are available when and where the crop needs them, that records be kept of the kilos of N, P, and K applied per hectare, and that soil and foliar analyses be conducted regularly. And there is a fundamental reason for that demand; that nutrient that does not reach the root does not disappear without consequences; it goes into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, it washes into the waters and pollutes, or it becomes blocked in the soil, disrupting the balance of other nutrients and changing the conditions for life for microorganisms and plants. The efficiency of nutrient use in the world's major crops ranges between just 10% and 55%; seen this way, the environmental problem and the economic problem go hand in hand; every kilo lost is money lost and, at the same time, an avoidable impact.
In previous blogs, we discussed waste from the perspective of efficiency, how to prevent nitrogen from escaping, phosphorus from being fixed, or nutrients from becoming unbalanced. Today we look at the same problem through the lens of sustainability. Current research is generating technological developments that address these issues and allow for maintaining productivity while reducing the impacts generated by production; let's see how.
The footprint of fertilizer production
Agricultural production has many impacts on the environment, but there is an environmental cost that starts long before the bag reaches your farm, and that rarely enters the conversation. The production of ammonia, which is the basis of almost all nitrogen fertilizers, is done through a process called Haber-Bosch, a process that transforms nitrogen found in the atmosphere but consumes about 1% of all fossil fuels on the planet and releases between 1.8 and 2.4 tons of CO₂ for every ton of ammonia produced. Since 70% of all ammonia in the world is destined for fertilizers, crop nutrition carries a significant portion of the global carbon footprint. Additionally, phosphorus comes from rock, a finite resource that, as we have seen, is not manufactured.
This changes the producer's calculations. Efficiency is no longer just a matter of personal cost; it is also a carbon footprint, access to markets that pay more for certified products, and resilience against an increasingly volatile fertilizer supply. When a certification asks you to document your kilos of N, P, and K per hectare, it is fundamentally asking you the same thing your wallet does: not to waste. The question then is, how to achieve this without sacrificing yield? And the answer is coming from four fronts.
Smarter inputs that release nutrients when the plant needs them
The first front is the fertilizer itself. For decades, a bag of urea released all its nitrogen at once, whether or not the plant was ready to take it. Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEF) change that logic, synchronizing the release of nutrients with the root's rhythm. There are two main families: controlled or slow-release fertilizers, coated with materials that dose gradually; and stabilized fertilizers, which incorporate nitrification inhibitors (such as DMPP or DCD) or urease inhibitors (such as NBPT) to chemically slow down the reactions that cause losses.
Research has found that nitrification and urease inhibitors increase crop yield by 7.5% and nitrogen use efficiency by 12.9%, while reducing nitrogen leaching by 48%, nitrous oxide emissions by 44%, and nitric oxide emissions by 24%. A broader analysis of 191 studies on corn found that EEFs increased yield by 8.5%, nitrogen absorption by 11.6%, and nitrogen use efficiency by a remarkable 35.8% compared to urea alone. Looking at specific losses, nitrification inhibitors can cut nitrous oxide emissions by up to 50%, and the urease inhibitor NBPT can reduce ammonia volatilization by up to 70%. In rice, slow-release fertilizers showed yield increases of 5% and efficiency improvements of 11%, which reached a 32% efficiency improvement when combined with a reduction in total dosage. Each of those percentage points is, at the same time, less pollution and more product for every kilo you paid.
The latest frontier is nanofertilizers, which are nanoparticles with a huge surface area that improves absorption and reduces losses due to leaching and volatilization. Reviews report nutrient use efficiency increases of up to 30%, yield increases of up to 25% in corn, and reductions of up to 40% in the amount of nitrogen applied, and some already combine nanotechnology with beneficial microorganisms in so-called bionanofertilizers.
All this is complemented by soil biology, now used as a sustainability tool. A global meta-analysis of 171 studies found that biofertilizers increase yield by an average of 16.2%, with a very relevant data point for our region: in tropical climates, the response was +14.9%, and in dry climates, it reached +20%. Microorganisms that combine nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization showed the greatest potential, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (which we have seen can reduce the need for phosphated fertilizer) proved equally effective on their own. The literature itself warns that standardized field data is still lacking and that costs can vary, so it is wise to view these figures with cautious optimism.
Do you know how much of what you apply is lost before reaching the root? That waste is, at the same time, your biggest money leak and your biggest avoidable environmental impact. Harvis analyzes the conditions of each lot to help you close that gap. Talk to us here →
The data and precision to ensure every kilo lands where it yields
The best fertilizer is of no use if it lands in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or in the wrong dose. This is where the most transformative front comes in, and the heart of what I like to recommend. Precision agriculture uses sensors, satellite imagery, and data analysis to adjust nutrition to the real needs of each part of the crop, rather than treating the entire farm the same. Nutrient sensors now measure nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium directly in the soil, allowing for avoiding both over-fertilization, which is costly and polluting, and deficiencies that cost yield.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating this leap; machine learning models integrate soil, climate, and crop data to generate fertilization recommendations tailored to each field and updated in real-time, and systematic reviews confirm that these tools measurably improve nutrient use efficiency. The most advanced targeted application systems can reduce fertilizer use by up to 40% by placing the exact dose only where it is needed; this is the technological translation of a principle you already know from last season: no lot is the same as another, now turned into data-backed decisions instead of estimates.
A cleaner production with green ammonia
The third front tackles the problem from the root of how fertilizer is made; the conventional Haber-Bosch process is fossil fuel-intensive. The emerging alternative is green ammonia: instead of obtaining the necessary hydrogen from natural gas, it is separated from water through electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind, or hydroelectric. The rest of the process is the same but powered by clean energy, which can make fertilizer production practically carbon-free.
Life cycle analyses confirm that these routes have a much lower environmental impact than traditional manufacturing, and several of the largest fertilizer producers in the world are already aiming to cut their emissions by 20% to 50% on the way to fossil-free products. The transition is strategic, and low-carbon ammonia production is now considered essential for resilient and sustainable agriculture in the future.
It is worth being realistic about the timelines. Today, only about 1% of global ammonia is green because its production is still costly and requires a huge installed capacity of renewable energy. It is not a solution that the producer adopts directly on their farm, but a transformation of the entire supply chain that will take years. However, it marks the direction in which the most basic input for crop nutrition is moving and anticipates a future where fertilizing does not necessarily mean emitting.
The circular economy to close the nutrient cycle
The fourth front starts from a simple and powerful idea: to stop treating nutrients as disposable. Today, a huge amount of nitrogen and phosphorus ends up in wastewater, manure, and agricultural and industrial by-products; in fact, nearly 30% of the food produced in the world is wasted, and that waste contains valuable nutrients that could return to the soil. The circular economy proposes to recover them and reincorporate them into the productive system.
The most mature technology in this field is the recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen in the form of struvite, a slow-release mineral that contains magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and that works as a high-quality fertilizer. Current crystallization processes can recover between 90% and 99% of the phosphorus present in wastewater, turning a contaminant into an input. The benefit is twofold: on one hand, it prevents that phosphorus from reaching rivers and reservoirs, where it would cause eutrophication; on the other, it reduces dependence on imported phosphoric rock, that finite resource that, as we have seen, is projected to be depleted in a matter of decades, along with exposure to price volatility and the geopolitics of the fertilizer market.
This sector is in full expansion; the market for biological-based fertilizers derived from waste is projected to grow from about USD 2.53 billion in 2024 to over 6.3 billion by 2032, driven by circular economy policies. It still faces real challenges, such as energy and chemical costs, and the risk of contamination with heavy metals that must be controlled, but for a region like Latin America, which imports most of its fertilizers, recovering nutrients that are already circulating in its own systems is not just an environmental cause; it is a concrete opportunity for savings and sovereignty over a critical input.
Where sustainability and profitability meet
If anything is clear from this wave of innovation, it is that the old idea that "sustainability costs more" is becoming outdated in crop nutrition. Let's review the figures: fertilizers that increase nitrogen efficiency by up to 35% and cut emissions in half; biofertilizers that increase yield by almost 15% in tropical climates; precision management that raises profitability by 15% using 10% less input; nutrient recovery that returns up to 99% of phosphorus to the cycle. In all cases, the practice that reduces environmental impact is the same that reduces waste and improves margins.
And there is a thread that connects these four fronts: smart fertilizers, precision, green ammonia, and the circular economy: data. None of these technologies reach their potential when applied blindly because they all depend on knowing what each lot really needs, when, and in what form. A controlled-release fertilizer performs if applied at the correct dose; a biofertilizer works if soil conditions allow it; recovered phosphorus is useful if placed where it is needed. The layer of information is what turns each of these innovations from a promise into a profitable decision, lot by lot and cycle by cycle.
It is not about producing less to care for the planet. It is about stopping waste, and it turns out that stopping waste takes care of your wallet, opens markets, and reduces your footprint, all at the same time. That is the true promise of sustainable nutrition: that you no longer have to choose.
As we already addressed in our blog Agricultural Sustainability: Regeneration, Carbon, and Biodiversity, which you can read here, the agriculture of the future does not oppose productivity and environmental care: it integrates them. Sustainable nutrition is proof that producing better and producing cleaner can finally be the same.
Consulted References
- Singh et al. (2025). Optimizing Nutrient Delivery in Agronomic Crops: A Review of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jpln.12010
- Review of research and innovation on novel fertilizers for crop nutrition (2025). npj Sustainable Agriculture. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44264-025-00066-0
- Tan et al. (2025). Low-carbon ammonia production is essential for resilient and sustainable agriculture. Nature Food. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12185339/
- Navigating ammonia production routes: Life cycle assessment insights for a sustainable future (2024). ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452223624000683
- ADI Analytics (2025) / McKinsey (2023). Greening agriculture: Green ammonia and beyond. https://adi-analytics.com/2024/05/31/greening-agriculture-green-ammonia-and-beyond/
- Khundi et al. (2025). Nanofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: A Global Review of Agronomic Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability. Nanomaterials (MDPI). https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/5/390
- Arora et al. (2024). Next-generation fertilizers: the impact of bionanofertilizers on sustainable agriculture. Microbial Cell Factories. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12934-024-02528-5
- Aborisade et al. (2026). Bio-Based Fertilizers from Waste: Nutrient Recovery, Soil Health, and Circular Economy Impacts. Toxics (MDPI). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12846053/
- Schütz et al. (2018). Improving Crop Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency via Biofertilization—A Global Meta-analysis. Frontiers in Plant Science (171 studies). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770357/
- Precision agriculture techniques for optimizing chemical fertilizer use and environmental sustainability: a systematic review (2025). Frontiers in Agronomy. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/agronomy/articles/10.3389/fagro.2025.1665444/full
- Interpretable deep learning models for independent fertilizer and crop recommendation (2025). Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-26910-4
- Emerging technologies for smart and sustainable precision agriculture (2025). Discover Robotics (Springer). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44430-025-00006-0
- Osorio N.W. (2014). Nutrient Management in Tropical Soils. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. ISBN 978-958-44-9746-8.
- Rainforest Alliance (2020). Sustainable Agriculture Standard — Farm Requirements (section 4.4: nutrient and fertilizer management). https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/business/certification/
- Abalos D. et al. (2014). Meta-analysis of the effect of urease and nitrification inhibitors on crop productivity and nitrogen use efficiency. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.