Ideas worth spreading

A simple solution to the coming phosphorus crisis

690,730 views |

Mohamed Hijri |

TEDxUdeM

• October 2013

There's a farming crisis no one is talking about: The world is running out of phosphorus, an essential element that's a key component of DNA and the basis of cellular communication. As biologist Mohamed Hijri shows, all roads of this crisis lead back to how we farm -- with chemical fertilizers chock-full of the element, which plants are not efficient at absorbing. One solution? A microscopic mushroom ...

There's a farming crisis no one is talking about: The world is running out of phosphorus, an essential element that's a key component of DNA and the basis of cellular communication. As biologist Mohamed Hijri shows, all roads of this crisis lead back to how we farm -- with chemical fertilizers chock-full of the element, which plants are not efficient at absorbing. One solution? A microscopic mushroom ...

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUdeM, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Mohamed Hijri

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Mohamed Hijri studies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), seeking to understand the structure, evolution and reproduction of these organisms, which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUdeM, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.