Fertiliser crisis & soil decline
The very fertilisers that once fed the world are now putting our soils, water, and health at risk. Chemical fertilisers have driven crop yields for decades, enabling us to feed a growing global population. But their overuse has come at a steep cost: crops grown with chemical fertilisers are often less nutrient-dense, and the long-term reliance on these inputs is degrading the soil, the very foundation of farming.
Farmers worldwide are under increasing pressure. Fertiliser costs have high and unstable, food prices are unstable, soils are becoming exhausted, sustaining profitable yields is more difficult. Conventional chemical fertilisers, once symbols of abundance, now deplete topsoil, pollute rivers, and contribute to ocean “dead zones” the size of entire states. Runoff is linked to contaminated aquifers, collapsing fisheries, and even stronger hurricanes as overheated waters fuel extreme weather. Chemical fertilisers also disrupt soil’s delicate biology. They alter pH, strip nutrients, and kill beneficial microbes that are essential for fertility and water retention. Over time, yields decline, irrigation demands rise, and in some regions farmland must be retired altogether. In the U.S. West, areas have already been abandoned due to selenium contamination from chemical fertilisers. Excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that plants cannot absorb are washed away into waterways, triggering algal blooms and suffocating aquatic life. The Gulf of Mexico/America now suffers from a dead zone as large as Delaware.
The risks extend beyond the farm. Trace heavy metals and chemical residues in fertilisers can accumulate in crops and enter the food chain, posing health risks for consumers and farm workers alike — from respiratory irritation to higher risks of cancer and chronic disease.
In short, while chemical fertilisers once promised abundance, their hidden costs to soil, water, climate, and human health are mounting — making the search for safer, sustainable alternatives more urgent than ever.
BioRoc™,
mother nature's trick, rediscovered
BioRoc™ is a natural bio-mineral fertiliser that transforms waste into value. It harnesses bacteria — nature’s original soil engineers — to unlock minerals from rock powder sourced from mine tailings waste and blended with biomass, creating a living, cost-effective fertiliser that restores soil health.
Through FutureSmart Remediating, our partner Advanced Materials Processing Inc. (AMPI) — removes tailings waste from mine sites as well as biomass waste products such as food waste (including slaughterhouse waste), forestry residues, and agricultural by-products. This is done at no cost to mining companies, governments, or industry. These liabilities are then upcycled through the FutureSmart Agriculture solution into BioRoc™ fertiliser, turning harmful by-products into regenerative soil nutrition.
Each application delivers a complete spectrum of plant-available minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon, and more), beneficial microbes and fungi to reactivate the soil microbiome, and BioChar™ that locks carbon while enhancing soil conductivity.
The results are both practical and surprising:
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Improved Soil Fertility: BioRoc’s™ porous structure acts like a sponge, storing nutrients and water so they remain available to plants while reducing leaching losses.
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Enhanced Water Retention: Builds topsoil that holds far more moisture, helping crops withstand dry periods and reducing irrigation demand.
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Boosted Soil Microbes: Creates a haven for beneficial bacteria and fungi, which break down organic matter and make nutrients more available.
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Reduced Acidity: Helps neutralise acidic soils, opening them up to a wider range of crops.
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Natural Pest Resistance: Plants grown in BioRoc™ soils show greater resilience against blight, mildew, and pests — reducing the need for sprays.
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Promotes Pollination: Healthier, more aromatic blossoms attract pollinators, improving fruit set and yields.
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Carbon Sequestration: Stable and slow to break down, BioRoc™ can lock carbon in soils for thousands of years, removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.
And the proof is already clear: almond orchards in California achieved a 75% increase in yield after switching to BioRoc™, while Canadian hemp trials recorded a 72% increase in grain yield with higher nutrient content.
Unlike chemical fertilisers that strip soils, BioRoc™ restores them — proving that the solution has always been here, hidden in plain sight.
Every hectare treated with BioRoc™ delivers measurable impact...
Soil
regeneration
Builds 5 centimetres of fertile topsoil per hectare each year
Water conservation
Holds 112,248 extra litres of water per hectare, reducing irrigation costs by up to 30%
Climate resilience
Sequesters 14.8 tonnes of CO₂ and 7.4 tonnes of nitrous oxide per hectare annually
Cleaner waterways
Stops fertiliser runoff, protecting rivers, groundwater, and oceans
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Food Security: BioRoc™ reduces dependence on volatile international fertiliser markets by creating fertiliser locally from waste streams.
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Circular Economy: Tailings, forestry residues, and food waste are upcycled into fertiliser instead of sitting in storage or landfills. In practice, one grocery chain saved $85,000 in a single year by diverting waste into BioRoc™ production instead of paying landfill fees.
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FutureSmart Remediating: Through our partnership with AMPI, mining tailings are removed at no cost to mining companies or governments. These liabilities are eliminated and then upcycled into BioRoc™ fertiliser — a win for agriculture, the environment, and the economy.
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Carbon & Climate: Every hectare treated sequesters 14.8 tonnes of CO₂ and 7.4 tonnes of nitrous oxide annually, while methane is captured through landfill diversion to BioChar™ production (methane figures are still being quantified).
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Cleaner Waterways: By replacing synthetic fertilisers, BioRoc™ halts nitrate runoff into rivers and oceans — reversing the spread of dead zones. Almond and vineyard trials documented improved soil structure and nutrient uptake without chemical leakage into groundwater.
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Waste Elimination: With FutureSmart Remediating, tailings are transformed from long-term liabilities into safe agricultural inputs. Pilot projects — including the BHP Tailings Challenge — prove that even challenging mine waste streams can be processed into FutureSmart Agriculture's BioRoc™ fertiliser safely and effectively.
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Nutrient-Dense Food: Crops grown with BioRoc™ contain higher levels of essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, and iron — vital for strong immune systems, healthy development, and long-term wellbeing.
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Reduced Chemical Exposure: With fewer chemical fertilisers and pesticides needed, farm workers and consumers face lower risks to optimal health.
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Gut Health & Performance: Produce grown with BioRoc™ are naturally richer in flavour and nutrients, supporting better digestion and overall health.
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Lower Medical Costs: Nutrient-rich diets help reduce reliance on supplements and pharmaceuticals, lowering healthcare costs for families and governments.
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Civilisation’s Foundation: Thriving agriculture has sustained civilisations. BioRoc™ secures this legacy by ensuring fertile soils and abundant harvests for future generations.
Either lead,
follow or get out of the way...
Dennis Amoroso
In this inspiring podcast, Dennis Amoroso, President of AMPI, shares the story of how mine tailings and food waste can be transformed into BioRoc™ — a natural, carbon-sinking, low cost fertiliser that restores soils, boosts crop yields, and eliminates the water system damage caused by chemical fertilisers.
This story was originally featured on the Pathway to Peak Performance Podcast. We are grateful for Jock Putney's permission to share it here.
Transforming waste into agri-gold
FutureSmart Agriculture's BioRoc™ solution proves that what was once seen as waste can become the foundation of abundance. For farmers, it means higher yields, lower and stable input costs. For governments and industry, it creates new local industries, jobs, and savings by diverting waste streams into productive use. And for mining companies and governments, FutureSmart Remediating removes tailings liabilities at no cost, transforming environmental burdens into agricultural resources.
This is more than a fertiliser. It is a pathway to regenerate soils, strengthen food security, restore ecosystems, and build healthier societies. BioRoc™ is how we clean up the past — and feed the future.
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