If the farmers in the film “Interstelar” were given a Nirba solution, it’s likely their crops would have a chance of surviving the planet’s increasingly extreme weather conditions. Aesthetically, it would also fit into the world of the near future, as it relies on a mix of space technology, AI and a fleet of drones landing in fields to measure soil content. This surprising technological mirage is gaining notoriety and receiving numerous awards. This is not surprising, as it provides knowledge the lack of which costs farmers up to $75 billion. annually. Because they spend a huge amount globally on fertilizers that will never be absorbed into the soil. However, they use more because without testing they are not sure the soil is sufficiently saturated with minerals.

The innovative solution is intended to help farmers optimize their crops and increase production efficiency. In short: increase profits, minimize losses and avoid wasting harvest potential.

At the same time, it protects the planet from the harmful effects of excessive land fertilization and saves billions of tons of carbon dioxide that agriculture releases into the atmosphere. Behind this concept is Piotr Lazarek, a founder of just 23 years old whose idea is admired by the whole world, from Beijing to Los Angeles.

The story of a certain rover

Piotr Lazarek, born in 2001, grew up in a home full of respect for knowledge. From an early age, his parents shared with him their passion for finding answers to troubling questions. Mom, Małgorzata, is an English teacher, and dad, Daniel, is an engineer. Piotr is fascinated by the night sky full of stars, but his dream is not to become an astronaut, but to create space technologies. At the age of 15, he began building his own Mars rover in his garage. – During a chemistry class in middle school, I heard a story about the decline of nearby agricultural land due to too low a concentration of nutrients in the soil. Then I faced the truth: my rover would probably not land on Mars, but it could work on another planet. Earth. It seemed to me that after a few modifications, I could help local farmers – explains Piotr Lazarek.

In the following months, he spends time in his garage adapting the technology to the needs of farmers. The rover must collect a soil sample, mix it with distilled water, and then analyze the concentration of various ions using ion-selective electrodes. In this way, the technology operator receives information about the components of the soil. This reduces the duration of the tests, which can take up to eight weeks in the laboratory.

In high school, Piotr Lazarek discovered the national Explory competition. These are battles of young scientists presenting their projects. He reported his “rover”. The concept overlaps in many ways with Nirba’s current activities. He won it, which allowed him to represent the country at the most important competition for young scientists in the world (Intel ISEF 2019). He is the only Pole in history to have won it.

– In one year, my life changed 180 degrees. It took me out of my role as an ordinary Polish high school student…

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