10137263Biofilm: A Revolutionary Solution for Nutrient Management in Agriculture and HorticultureActiveGrant for R&DInnovate UKBy 2050, 60% more food will be needed to feed a world population of up to 10 billion people (FAO). Achieving this with a farming-as-usual approach would be detrimental to our Climate, natural resources, and health. Food production relies on synthetic fertilisers, accounting for approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are harmful to human health. Their use is also not sustainable. The Earth's phosphorus supply could run out within 50 - 100 years. Farmers/growers are therefore facing the challenge of reducing synthetic fertiliser usage as required by law/regulations whilst increasing food production using more sustainable, organic farming methods to meet an ever-rising global demand. This project will develop a novel biofilm-based fertiliser that reduces the use of synthetic fertilisers by 40% to 50%. It will create a biofilm using a unique consortium of UK Indigenous bacteria, improving soil quality and plant/crop health and leading to higher yields (20%---30%). The new fertiliser will have a minimum shelf-life of 24 months. Whilst there is a lot of published research on biofilms, no commercial product with comparable features is available on the market.