Nayab Raza still remembers the challenges her family faced in trying to produce reliable yields from their land in Pakistan, including the loss of an entire harvest one year.

Now a second year PhD student at the University of Manchester, working at the Firs Environmental Research Station, Nayab’s early understanding of this hardship inspired her to create something which could “heal the soil” and help farmers like those she grew up with.

It led her to develop ‘Algaverse’, an algae-based, chemical-free organic fertiliser. This novel fertiliser can increase nutrients and carbon content in soil, and improve beneficial microbial communities – microorganisms that play a vital role in nutrient recycling and the growth of plants, much more than chemical-based fertilisers.

Early results already show that Algaverse can boost the productivity of agricultural output by up to 12% and sustain a healthier soil for a longer period, whilst at the same time, reducing costs for farmers.

Nayab is now working on controlling a loss of nutrients through the leaching process in soil, as well as on soil salinity (particularly important in places like Pakistan, where salt accumulation can reduce soil fertility and lead to crop failure). She’s also developing stronger strains that could improve yields and looking to expand her research across more locations.

In time, Nayab hopes that Algaverse won’t just be a product that helps people affected by challenging farming climates, like the one she grew up in, but something that creates a lasting positive benefit for the whole of humanity: “I believe that… it’s going to be a revolutionary product in agriculture.”

Nayab Raza is a second-year PhD student at The University of Manchester, based at the Michael Smith building and the Firs Environmental Research Station, as well as the Assistant Director for Youth Affairs in Pakistan’s Sindh Province.