The nutritional value of staple crops, fruits, and vegetables is fundamental to public health, particularly when consumed in their natural, unprocessed form. Enhancing the quality of crops requires approaches that not only improve yields but also increase nutrient density, bioavailability, and overall food quality. Equally important is the ability to measure these improvements: monitoring nutrient content from soil to harvest provides a clearer picture of how agricultural practices influence human nutrition. Reliable, low-cost, and rapid testing methods would allow farmers and food systems to better understand the impact of inputs and practices on crop quality and to ensure more consistent delivery of nutritious food.
By enabling both the improvement and transparent measurement of crop nutrition, innovative approaches can make more nutritious food available, support stronger market differentiation for producers, and contribute to better human health outcomes.
What we're looking for
We are looking for innovative solutions (agronomic and non-agronomic) to improve the nutritional quality of staple crops, fruits, and vegetables, along with low-cost tools that can monitor and verify nutritional value from soil through harvest. Tools should be suitable for use on soil or on crops in their natural, unprocessed form.
Solutions of interest include:
Micronutrient-enriched fertilizers to boost crop nutritional value
Foliar sprays that enhance vitamins and antioxidants in crops
Biostimulants for improved nutrient density
Soil or crop amendments that increase mineral bioavailability
Post-harvest treatments that preserve nutritional compounds
Portable sensors for rapid nutrient testing in crops and soils
Low-cost field kits to monitor crop nutritional content
Handheld spectroscopy devices for quick nutrient analysis
Traceability systems tracking nutritional quality from field to market
Our must-have requirements are:
Helps deliver more nutritious crops/produce or track their nutritional value with consistency
Demonstrates clear applicability to either soil or staple crops, fruits, and vegetables in unprocessed form
Scalable for use in real agricultural settings beyond controlled trials or lab conditions
Testing tools must provide rapid cost-effective and reliable insights without complex laboratory analysis
Our nice-to-have's are:
Nutrient enhancement technologies supported by evidence showing measurable impact on crop nutrition or quality
Compatibility with regenerative or climate-resilient agricultural practices
Traceability tools able to measure multiple nutrients or quality indicators simultaneously
Validated in diverse crop types, soil types, or geographic regions
Participation in proof-of-concept funding, with additional potential funding for further development.
Expertise
Partners will have access to UM6P experts.
Who we are
OCP Nutricrops drives research through a global network of labs and partners, combining agronomic science, digital technology, and circular innovation. The team has launched the SP2M program, surpassed 5 M tonnes TSP output, and built partnerships with UM6P and Embrapa to advance low-carbon, data-driven plant nutrition.
What is the available funding? Depending on the $ amount, we may consider collaborating with other interested PIs/organizations such as those who submitted questions on this page, and submit a collaborative proposal.
Thank you for your question. Funding will be evaluated on a proposal-by-proposal basis. We are open to a range of potential partnership structures depending on the maturity, scope, and potential impact of the proposed solution. We encourage you to submit your proposal, including an outline of the resources or collaboration needed so that we can assess the best fit and explore potential co-funding or consortium models if appropriate.
We have developed maize that works with endophytes to obtain substantial N from soil microbes and from the air. Yields are competitive and nutritional value is high. Would this be of interest to your company?
Youssef Benkhaira, Head of Strategy & Solution Design, OCP Nutricrops
November 14, 2025
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Hello. I would like to tackle 'Handheld spectroscopy devices for quick nutrient analysis'. Do you provide any samples of soil or crops for testing (or access to any places where we can test the developed solution)?
Youssef Benkhaira, Head of Strategy & Solution Design, OCP Nutricrops
October 6, 2025
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Are you looking for partners that deliver all the listed solutions - ie from fertilizers to sensors? Would partners with competence only on the postharvest and sensing technologies be eligible to apply?
Youssef Benkhaira, Head of Strategy & Solution Design, OCP Nutricrops
October 17, 2025
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Hello! could you be interested in AI-powered automated devices (not hand-held) to measure soil microbiome biodiversity? or biodiversity (bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, etc..) is not a KPI interested to measure?
Youssef Benkhaira, Head of Strategy & Solution Design, OCP Nutricrops
November 14, 2025
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We have developed maize varieties that work with endophytes to obtain N from the soil microbiome and from the air. This strongly reduces the need for fertilizer. Is this kind of thing interesting to your company?