Karsten Temme

Brazil is an agricultural powerhouse.

It's one of the world's top three corn producers.

Yet yields average just about 6,000 kilos per hectare, so there's a lot of room for upside improvement.

One of the biggest limiting factors is nitrogen fertilizer.

Brazil imported more than 80 percent of its nitrogen fertilizers last year, and that's something it's looking to reverse through microbes, both with us and others.

So Pivot's been working with the Ministry of Agriculture to test and adapt our products ahead of commercial sales.

And I'd like to give you a little bit of a look into Charles' farm, where he's counting on those microbes to supply about 30 kilos of nitrogen alongside the 120 kilos of nitrogen fertilizer he's applying every acre.

That's about 25 percent less than he normally would use.

Now, the crop's a couple weeks away from harvest, but what you'll see is the plants are larger, greener, they're healthier, they've got bigger root systems.

All that sets up the crop to be more resilient in the face of an unpredictable climate.

It also means that's a bigger factory for producing higher yields at better profitability.

This is a boon for Charles' operation.

It's also an opportunity for Brazil to have strategic independence, because these microbes can be brewed like beer close to the farm.

That means no more reliance on foreign chemicals or global supply chains.

We're also working in Kenya, and I'd like to introduce you to Margaret.

Now, every morning, Margaret wakes at 4 a.m.

and she walks five kilometers to reach her small plot of land.

For her, fertilizer isn't just an expense.

It's a significant investment.

$36 for a 50-kilo bag.