Our global food production needs to increase by 50% in the next 20 years to sustain the increasing world population and prosperity. Although theoretical estimates have suggested that the accumulated P (an essential plant macronutrient) in agricultural soils is sufficient to sustain maximum crop yields worldwide for about 100 years, most soils are deficient in bioavailable P. Phosphorus deficiency often limits plant growth although it is critically important for improving soil fertility in both tropical and temperate regions. The practice of applying inorganic P fertilizers to alleviate P deficiency is inefficient for both logistical and economic reasons because 75-90% of soluble P from fertilizers rapidly becomes immobilized as Fe, Al, or Ca-PO4 phases in soils.P fertilizers are also known to degrade soil quality. Furthermore, at the current world-wide rate of application of fertilizers, the readily available sources of high grade phosphate rocks will be depleted within the next 60 to 90 years. Therefore, sustainable alternatives to improving P bioavailability are needed.