“Soil health isn’t an abstract sustainability goal,” says Hunter Swisher. “It’s a systems strategy for producing what the world needs with the resources we have.” In other words, it’s working with what nature already provides to produce food, rather than rather than relying on an endless supply of synthetic inputs to get the job done. Swisher’s company, Phospholutions, does this through its RhizoSorb product, which it calls “the next generation of fertilizers.” A dry phosphate fertilizer, it was developed to improve phosphate-use efficiency in plants, which is critical for crop yields. Unlike conventional fertilizers, RhizoSorb also minimizes the amount of waste (e.g., runoff) that could damage the environment. Phospholutions’ mission is in line with a key theme at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland: “building prosperity within planetary boundaries.” Also on the agenda at Davos this week: AI, which is slated to show up in just about every session on the books, including those related to agtech. Swisher, who will participate in a talk this week at Davos, took time out to chat with AgFunderNews about farming within planetary boundaries and the role of AI in global agriculture. Image credit: Phospholutions AgFunderNews (AFN): “Building prosperity within planetary boundaries” is a big part of the agenda at Davos this year. How does attention to soil health contribute to this? Hunter Swisher (HS): Soil health plays a critical role in how we operate within planetary boundaries because it determines how effectively inputs are turned into food. Agriculture has already made…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
