Algae-based fertilizers, an ecological solution from Hispanagar

The use of seaweeds as fertilizer for plants dates back to the 1st century, when agronomists Columela and Palladius were already writing about their benefits for improving crops. 

Thanks to their high content of fiber, macro and micronutrients, amino acids, vitamins, and plant phytohormones, seaweeds act as soil conditioners and contribute to moisture retention. Additionally, due to their mineral content, they are a useful fertilizer and a source of trace elements. 

Hispanagar, in its continuous quest for innovative solutions related to seaweeds, began a research project in 2015 to deepen and highlight all the benefits that seaweeds could bring to agriculture, including, of course, the development of new technologies capable of enhancing their effects. 

The possibilities were immense, and as a result, in 2016 Ficosterra (ficos: seaweed in Greek; terra: land in Latin) was born as a spin-off of Hispanagar. 

The objective of this new company was to offer, from the outset, new ecological solutions to conventional agriculture, transferring the active principles from the sea and their benefits to soils depleted by overexploitation. 

Since then, the production and marketing of a complete range of fertilizers, bio-stimulants, and bio-fertilizers, using seaweed and microorganisms technologies, have allowed for a more sustainable development of crops and plants, soil regeneration, crop stimulation, improvement of productivity, and increased resistance of plants to environmental stress. All of this aligns with what European regulations increasingly demand. 

The products have the necessary registrations for their marketing in Europe and are also registered as suitable for use in organic agriculture. 

Since its creation, Ficosterra has received several awards worldwide recognizing its innovation, quality, and respect for the environment. Notable are the national ADE awards for innovation, Caixa Emprendedor XXI, or FAE Innovation, received between 2018 and 2020, and the international Blue Bio Value, Quality Innovation Award and the recently awarded by the United Nations  Ocean Innovation Innovator, which recognizes Ficosterra as a collaborating company to help achieve SDG 14 (to prevent pollution of seas and oceans).