Fertilisers Through the Ages
Learning from Ancient Wisdom
Throughout history, civilisations worldwide have developed sophisticated methods to enhance soil fertility.
Ancient Egyptians utilized the nutrient-rich sediments deposited by annual Nile floods, with the river’s predictability and fertile soil allowing them to build an empire on the basis of great agricultural wealth. In ancient China, farmers developed early fertilisation techniques using rotten weeds and understanding composition of different fertilisers including green manure during the early imperial periods. First Nations peoples here in Australia employed fire-stick farming for millennia, using controlled burns to promote nutrient recycling and manage ecosystems. Indigenous Americans developed the ingenious “Three Sisters” intercropping system, where nitrogen-fixing beans naturally enriched the soil for companion corn and squash crops.
These traditional practices sustained civilisations for millennia and are remarkable examples of agricultural knowledge that modern science continues to rely on.
A Pivotal Step: The Haber-Bosch Revolution
Built upon thousands of years of accumulated agricultural wisdom and understanding of soil-plant relationships developed by traditional farming communities, the early 20th century marked a pivotal breakthrough that changed our fundamental approach to agriculture.
In 1909, German chemist Fritz Haber developed a process to synthesise ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen, later industrialised by Carl Bosch. This breakthrough enabled mass production of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers for the first time. The transformation in fertiliser use was profound, crop yields increased dramatically, and global food production expanded exponentially and is a major contributor to the world population expansion from two to over seven billion people within a century.
Progress and Environmental Challenges
This revolutionary technology transformed global agriculture in ways Haber and Bosch could never have imagined. Since 1900, global fertiliser consumption has grown to over 180 million tonnes annually. However, this success comes with significant environmental costs.
Current nitrogen fertilisers achieve only 30-50% efficiency, with the remainder lost through runoff, leaching, and atmospheric emissions. These losses contribute to water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and ecosystem disruptions. As the global population approaches 10 billion by 2050, there is an urgent need to develop fertiliser systems that maintain high productivity while minimising environmental impact.
Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture
Recognising these mounting challenges, research communities have been working to develop next generation fertiliser technologies. At the ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers, we aim to address these critical challenges through our research program, conducted in partnership with industry leaders including Incitec Pivot Fertilisers and Elders Rural Services.
Our Goal? To develop new engineered fertilisers, “that are designed to increase the efficiency with which the plant can access the nitrogen supplied through fertilisers, and through this mechanism, reduce the loss the occurs in these [agricultural] systems.” Prof. Helen Suter, Deputy Director, ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers.
While the challenges of food security and environmental protection are complex and require solutions from multidisciplinary fields, we believe that improving fertiliser efficiency is one crucial piece of the puzzle. By learning from thousands of years of agricultural innovation and applying modern science thoughtfully, we’re working to contribute meaningfully in creating fertilisers that can sustainably and efficiently nourish both current and future generations.
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