Engineering symbiotic microbes to produce sustainable nitrogen fertilizer under the control of precise genetic circuits.
Switch Bioworks engineers symbiotic microbes to produce sustainable nitrogen fertilizer directly on plant roots through precise genetic circuits. They formulate these engineered microbes into a powder containing billions of dormant microbes that farmers can rehydrate and apply during crop sowing.
The company was founded with a mission to address the century-old problems with traditional fertilizer systems that are costly, limit productivity, cause pollution, and create national security risks. Their goal is to feed the world sustainably by revolutionizing how fertilizer is produced and delivered to crops.
Switch Bioworks matters because they offer a solution to critical global challenges including fertilizer supply chain vulnerabilities, environmental pollution from runoff, and the enormous energy demands of traditional fertilizer production. By producing fertilizer directly where it's needed on farms, they reduce costs for farmers while protecting natural resources and enhancing food security worldwide.
Switch Bioworks creates impact by engineering naturally occurring microbes that produce fertilizer directly on plant roots, eliminating the need for energy-intensive manufacturing and reducing supply chain dependencies. This approach addresses multiple problems simultaneously: reducing farmer costs, minimizing environmental runoff, and localizing fertilizer production.
Their solution specifically targets the fact that almost 50% of applied nitrogen fertilizer currently runs off fields, polluting water and degrading soil. By delivering fertilizer directly at the root level through living microbes, they can significantly reduce this waste while maintaining crop productivity.
Almost 50% of applied nitrogen fertilizer runs off fields, and nitrogen fertilizer production uses as much energy each year as all U.S. homes combined. Fertilizer accounts for about ⅓ of farmers' crop input costs.
Cost Reduction
Reduces fertilizers' expense for farmers by producing on-site.
Environmental Stewardship
Minimizes nitrogen runoff, protecting water and soil.
Local Production
Mitigates supply chain risks by creating fertilizer where needed.
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