India | Fertilizer innovation

2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers: Yashpal Saharawat

Yashpal Saharawat pioneered three transformative, data-driven initiatives that integrated agronomic science with scalable implementation to address food security, climate resilience and rural poverty. He advanced Mechanized Fertilizer Deep Placement, an FAO-recognized innovation that mechanizes the subsurface placement of multi-nutrient briquettes. This approach significantly reduces ammonia volatilization and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing staple crop yields by as much as 138%, benefiting more than three million farmers and driving a 42% reduction in poverty. He also helped transform agricultural production across more than seven million hectares in Asia through conservation agriculture practices that increased farmer incomes, improved water-use efficiency and enhanced soil health. Saharawat founded the Global Network of Fertilizer Innovation Centers, a transnational network of research and capacity-building hubs spanning nine countries. Through public-private partnerships, the network accelerates the adaptation and adoption of innovations in soil health, precision nutrient management and carbon sequestration while ensuring solutions remain affordable and accessible for smallholder farmers.