- Prominent Industry Judges Recognize Potential to Improve On-Farm Profitability and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions -
DAVIS, Calif. (November 8, 2011) – Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, announced that it was nominated for Best Novel Agricultural Technology at the Agrow Awards in London for its Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) technology. The Agrow awards are judged by a panel of nine internationally renowned agricultural scientists and industry leaders.
Arcadia’s NUE technology enables plants to achieve high yields using significantly less nitrogen fertilizer than conventional plants. Nitrogen fertilizers enable farmers to achieve the high yields that drive modern agriculture. The use of nitrogen fertilizer will continue to increase substantially as global population and food requirements grow. International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) forecasts suggest that nitrogen fertilizer applications will total nearly 100 million tons per year in 2011.
While fertilizers are effective in driving crop yield improvements, they also have a negative impact on the environment. Since most plants are generally able to utilize less than one-half of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to fields, much of the remaining nitrogen fertilizer leaches from the soil into water and pollutes lakes, rivers, aquifers and oceans. In addition, a significant portion of the applied nitrogen fertilizer volatizes in the form of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In fact, agriculture is the second largest industrial contributor to global greenhouse gases (GHGs) -- ahead of the transportation sector and behind only electrical and heat generation. It is estimated that nitrogen fertilizer accounts for one-third of the GHGs produced by agriculture.
By significantly reducing global dependence on nitrogen fertilizer, NUE technology can have a significant positive impact for both on-farm profitability and the environment. Arcadia estimates that if the top six global crops used one-half as much nitrogen as they currently do, the impact on GHG emissions would equal removing all of the automobiles from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The company has successfully demonstrated NUE’s effectiveness in multiple global crops in growing regions around the world.
“The Agrow awards are widely seen as a premier agricultural industry event at which innovation is recognized by our peers. Our award nomination, along with the progress we’ve made with our partners around the world, is continued validation of the potential NUE has to help make farmers more profitable and better environmental stewards,” said Eric Rey, President and CEO of Arcadia.
About Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Based in Davis, Calif., with additional facilities in Seattle, Wash. and Phoenix, Ariz., Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural technology company focused on the development of agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance human health. For more information visit www.arcadiabio.com.
