Nitrogen Stolen from the Air: Why Would Half of Humanity Go Hungry Without This Discovery?

Approximately 78 percent of Earth’s atmosphere consists of nitrogen. The paradox is that plants cannot use this nitrogen directly. To support plant growth, it must first be converted into compounds such as ammonium or nitrate. For centuries, agriculture depended on the soil’s natural fertility, animal manure and nitrogen-fixing legumes. These sources alone could not feed a rapidly growing population.

In 1909, the German chemist Fritz Haber developed a method for combining atmospheric nitrogen with hydrogen to produce ammonia. Carl Bosch later adapted the method for industrial production, creating what became known as the Haber–Bosch process. Today, this technology enables the production of hundreds of millions of tonnes of nitrogen fertilizer and forms one of the foundations of global food production.

Researchers estimate that the food consumed by roughly half of the world’s population is produced, directly or indirectly, with nitrogen fixed through the Haber–Bosch process. In other words, one of the most important resources feeding humanity is not beneath our feet, but in the air above our heads.