Deploying good bacteria to fight bad bacteria!
It sounded like a fanciful idea, the sort that might occur only to a scientist. But testing it on a green chilli farm the size of 1.5 football fields was absurd, at least that was what seemed to farmer Sumon Mia.
He was sceptical. But he eventually agreed to try the experimental fertiliser. He mixed a powdery substance, said to contain beneficial bacteria, into water and sprayed it on his plants.
"The result was superb," said Mia, 40, a farmer in Baliadangi Upazila of Takurgaon District -- more than a nine-hour drive from the capital city Dhaka.
The bacteria, applied in a fistful amount for the land, dramatically reduced crop withering and increased yields. "It worked great even in the rainy season," Mia said, when insecticides and pesticides usually wash away.
He received the free powder from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) officials, who were experimenting with the technology. Mia is one of the early beneficiaries of this invisible innovation: beneficial bacteria, the green fertiliser of the future.
Like chemical fertilisers, these bacteria can combat crop diseases and provide nutrients, but without harming the environment.
"It can cut typical fertiliser use by 50 per cent, but it is not a complete replacement for synthetic ones," said Dr Tofazzal Islam, a professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University.
Still, probiotic fertilisers can help Bangladesh achieve a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal by balancing agricultural productivity with environmental protection.
Probiotics don't punish the soil
The agriculture sector, which employs more than 44 per cent of the population, now heavily relies on chemical pesticides to combat plant diseases and fertilisers to increase yields.
The country's farming policies and technologies have traditionally focused on raising productivity, often at the expense of sustainability.
BARI official TM Hossain, who is leading the probiotic fertiliser pilot after discovering four beneficial bacteria and developing liquid and powdered forms, said excessive chemical fertilisers are rapidly degrading soil health, reducing fertility and disease resistance.
In contrast, he said, beneficial or probiotic bacteria help store more carbon in the soil, improve water retention and provide nutrients to plants.
While carbon in the atmosphere is a major contributor to climate change, underground it nourishes plants.
Mr Hossain said widespread adoption of probiotic fertilisers would benefit farmers, the environment and the government.
However, he acknowledged that most farmers at the grassroots are unaware of probiotic technology.
"We need a massive campaign to promote these bacteria and conserve nature, which requires at least 76 per cent beneficial microbial organisms," he said.
Mr Hossain said many districts have poor or adverse soil conditions, such as the high salinity in coastal Khulna. "Salt-tolerant bacteria could be beneficial for plants there."
In developed countries, crop production is shifting towards conservation or regenerative agriculture to protect and improve soil health. "This is a key technology for sustainable agriculture," Hossain told The Financial Express, referring to their trials at 17 locations.
Tofazzal Islam, a professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) who also researched the technology, said it would help farmers cope with increasingly unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change.
The cost of chemical fertilisers
Local farmers have used fertilizers and pesticides since the early 1950s, and their use has now peaked. This has fuelled agricultural productivity, helping to reduce hunger and poverty rates to nearly 19 per cent in 2022, down from 2010.
Rice production, the country's staple, reached around 39 million tonnes in 2023 -- an increase of more than 5 per cent from 2021. Since 1971-72, rice production has risen by more than 270 per cent to 36.3 million tonnes in the 2018 fiscal year.
Potato production, the country's most consumed vegetable, reached 10.43 million tonnes in 2023, also up more than 5 per cent from 2021, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
But those achievements came at a huge price tag -- for the state coffers and the nature.
The negative impacts of these fertilisers and pesticides on the environment, human health and biodiversity have worsened.
About two-thirds of nitrogen-based and half of phosphate fertilisers applied to crops are lost, often washing into ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans, suffocating aquatic life in areas with low oxygen levels, according to extensive research by international organisations.
Besides, global fertiliser production, reliant on natural gas or coal, accounts for 2 per cent of the world's climate-warming emissions. On the financial front, chemical fertilisers are expensive despite government subsidies for importers.
In the FY 2023-24, subsidies exceeded Tk280 billion -- more than double the usual amount -- as prices soared due to the Ukraine-Russia war and other global tensions, according to the Bangladesh Fertiliser Association.
Although prices have fallen, the government continues to pay more for conventional fertilisers due to time lags. The subsidy could be Tk150 billion in the current fiscal year, according to the Fertiliser Association.
The government provides a subsidy of Tk16-17 per kilogram of urea.
Cheaper than synthetic ones
Beneficial microbes on farms offer a cheaper alternative technology. Agro-economists see compelling reasons to adopt microbial technology, which can benefit farmers financially.
"The main incentive for growers to use microbial fertilisers is economic," said Dr Jahangir Alam, a professor at the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) in Mymensingh.
When nitrogen-producing microbes attach to plant roots, nutrient runoff is minimised, reducing the need for excessive conventional fertilisers.
"If farmers can achieve the same agri output by applying bacteria, they should do it," he said.
Once applied, microbes continue working with the plant and, unlike conventional nutrients, do not require repeated applications throughout the growing season, Dr Alam said.
Still scientists for not rushing it up
This shift to microbial fertilisers may be risky for many farmers as crop failures mean lost food and income. Many farms in the country are "subsistence farming" as they completely depend on it for livelihood.
Farming scientists are aware of the fact that as chemical fertilisers and pesticides offer immediate solutions, and bacteria are invisible, many farmers may be sceptical about microbial benefits.
Besides, among the policymakers, some may also believe implementation costs are high and that improving soil quality takes years.
BAU Professor Jahangir Alam said farmers have long relied on chemicals and changing practices will take time.
Microbiology Professor at Chittagong University Mohammed Manchur believes the government should adopt the technology to reduce fertiliser spending and achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
"We need a campaign and more trained personnel," he said. However, he cautioned against hasty decisions, citing Sri Lanka's recent agricultural reforms and economic crisis.
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