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Dr. Mariangela Hungria named 2025 World Food Prize winner

Pictured: Former U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (center, speaking at podium) outlines the importance of the World Food Prize during a laureate ceremony in Des Moines on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Photo by Brent Barnett/Brownfield)

A Brazilian scientist who has developed seed treatments that sustainably improve crop nutrition has been named the winner of the 2025 World Food Prize.

“The 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, from Brazil, Dr. Mariangela Hungria,” said World Food Prize Foundation President Dr. Mashal Husain at a gathering in Des Moines Tuesday night.

Husain says this year’s laureate has helped farmers save up to $40 billion annually in input costs while avoiding more than 180 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions per year.

“Her pioneering research in biological nitrogen fixation revolutionized soybean farming,” she said, “making it possible to supplement synthetic nitrogen fertilizers with naturally occurring processes.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says Dr. Hungria’s discoveries have helped improve yields of wheat, maize, rice, common beans, and other major crops.

“Someone whose work has made a profound difference in how we grow, distribute, and protect the food that billions of people depend on,” the governor said.

Dr. Hungria will receive her World Food Prize at a ceremony in October.