Alfredo Scheid Lopes

Alfredo Scheid Lopes is Professor of Tropical Soil Fertility at the Escola Superior de Agricultura de Lavras, ESAL, Mato Grosso, Brazil. He is also the Technical Consultant to the Brazilian National Association for the Promotion of Fertilizers and Soil Amendments, ANDA.

Following a first degree in Brazil, he studied at the State University of North Carolina, USA, where he earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. Alfredo Scheid Lopes' work on the management of the infertile soils of the cerrados of Brazil has contributed significantly to the impressive agricultural development of this vast region.

The cerrados is now making a significant contribution to Brazil's agricultural economy, at the same time helping to avoid the over-exploitation of marginal land, for example in the Amazonian forest region. He has communicated his work effectively through teaching, publications and numerous presentations. Effectively, an original piece of research has led to a significant improvement in mineral fertilizer efficiency at the farmer level, which is a main criterion of the award.