Bridging Science and Soil: Celebrating Mariangela Hungria, Brazil’s Laureate of the Land

This month, the 2025 World Food Prize – the Nobel of agriculture – was awarded to a fellow Brazilian, Dr. Mariangela Hungria, a microbiologist whose life’s work has helped transform Brazil into a global agricultural powerhouse. Her achievement is a triumph not just for science, but for sustainability, for women in research, and for a model of innovation that serves both people and planet.

Working at Embrapa, Brazil’s premier agronomic research institute, Dr. Hungria has spent more than four decades developing biological alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. Her pioneering work in biological nitrogen fixation – enabling crops to partner with soil bacteria to extract nitrogen from the air – has improved soil health, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and saved Brazilian farmers an estimated $25 billion annually in input costs. Her microbial solutions now cover more than 40,000 hectares of cropland (nearly 100,000 acres), boosting yields while sharply reducing chemical use.

But this is not just the story of a scientist. It’s the story of perseverance. Entering a male-dominated field, Dr. Hungria faced constant skepticism that biologicals could ever rival conventional fertilizers. She stayed the course – and proved them wrong. Her innovations helped position Brazil as the world’s leading soybean producer and exporter – not through land expansion, but by deepening the roots – literally – of agricultural resilience. “The goal was to increase yield with the least possible use of chemicals,” she said. “And we achieved this through more biologicals.”

For us at L1A, this recognition carries special resonance. After spending 100 days immersed in the Global Insurance Accelerator in Des Moines, we chose to headquarter our company in the very city where the World Food Prize is awarded. That shared geography feels less like coincidence, more like convergence.

As a Brazilian American, I’m deeply moved by the symbolic bridge this moment builds – between Iowa and Brazil, science and soil, tradition and transformation. Dr. Hungria’s journey from Embrapa’s research fields to the World Food Prize reflects the same belief that guides our work: that innovation must serve farmers, protect ecosystems, and strengthen the foundations of food security.

More than anything, this moment is a reminder: sustainability is not a side path in agriculture – it is the path forward. Science and innovation must reduce risk, not deepen it. They must empower farmers as stewards of the land and drivers of resilience. They must help us feed the world without exhausting it. That is the work. That is the mission. And Dr. Hungria’s legacy makes that mission not only possible – but urgently necessary.

Her award is a celebration of what becomes possible when science and perseverance align. Her impact reaches far beyond yield gains – touching ecosystems, farmer resilience, and the advancement of women in agricultural discovery. As she prepares to receive the World Food Prize at the Iowa Capitol this October, we honor her not only as a scientist, but as a signal: to keep innovating, keep questioning, and keep building a food system that can thrive in a volatile world.

Parabéns, Dra. Hungria. Your work inspires our own.

Roberta Leão, Layer 1 Agriculture.