Climate change is pushing our food and farming systems to their limits. By 2050, 9.7 billion mouths must be fed, while rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events threaten crop production worldwide. This free webinar will showcase concrete solutions to climate change adaptation and mitigation that the fertilizer industry and its partners are investing in, to help farmers become “climate-smart” and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The International Fertilizer Association (IFA), International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) will bring together leading experts in soil health and management from across the globe to discuss the latest innovations in their region that are already contributing to the global response to food insecurity and climate change.
Speakers:
Scott Angle, CEO and President, International Fertilizer Development Centre
Robert Norton, Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand, International Plant Nutrition Institute
Shamie Zingore, Director, Sub-Saharan Africa Programme, International Plant Nutrition Institute
Heitor Cantarella, Director, Soil and Environment Resource Centre at the Agronomic Institute of Campinas and winner of IFA 2017 Norman Borlaug Award.
Join the panel of experts to explore the following issues:
How can farmers build resilience to unpredictable weather patterns through fertilizer best management practices?
Which innovative fertilizer solutions are successfully helping farmers adapt to climate change in Australasia?
How can farmers in sub-Saharan Africa access accurate fertilizer recommendations?
What are the latest solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers in the tropics?
A high-level panel debate assessing Africa’s progress in increasing fertilizer use, 10 years on from the landmark African Fertilizer Summit. The panel will review the success of the historic Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for an African Green Revolution and discuss how to drive greater and faster progress in addressing nutrient deficiencies in African soils, in order to support economic growth, social development and climate change responses. Read more >>
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This week, as part of the #SDG2countdown, we are hosting blogs that show progress towards SDG2.3 – doubling smallholder productivity & incomes. Adrian Johnston, Former Vice President of the International Plant Nutrition Institute in Africa & Asia, explains why improving soil health is a critical step towards this target.
Fertilizers were developed to provide farmers and gardeners with a rapidly available source of nutrients. Just like humans need a good diet to be healthy and strong, so do our soils. Most fertilizer products provide either a single nutrient, or include a group of nutrients. Plants need a total of 17 nutrients to complete their life cycle of growth and seed production, and fertilizers – whether mineral or organic – help the soil provide those vital nutrients to our crops. When a nutrient is absent, or in low supply, the growth and yield of the plant is severely limited.
Farmers have played a major role in meeting the nutritional requirements of a growing world population, and the use of fertilizers has made a significant contribution. By helping farmers grow more on less land, much land has been spared from conversion into farmland, which in turn has reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere through deforestation. As the world must now strive to double agricultural productivity, whilst minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment, the way farmers choose to manage soil health on their farms is going to become more important than ever.
There is a critical need to educate farmers on how to apply fertilizer from the right source, at the right rate, time and place, in order to optimize crop yields and profits, while minimizing any negative environmental impact. How this can be done, was the subject of a recent webinar that the World Farmers’ Organisation and International Fertilizer Association recently ran.
Inspired by the launch of the new Nutrient Management Handbook, that serves as a blueprint to farmers worldwide on how to improve soil health on their farms, we discussed a variety of issues that we believe will help farmers achieve the triple win of boosting productivity, sustainability and resilience.
What are the benefits of good nutrient management?
Success in good nutrient management comes in the form of a healthy, high yielding crops, that are profitable to the farmer and leave no negative environmental impact. For years, the impact of fertilizer use on crop yield has been clearly documented on a global scale, with cereal grain production keeping pace with global population. Reviews of the population and food supply issue have suggested that as much as 50% of the current global population is dependent on fertilizer use, especially nitrogen. However, with the use of fertilizers comes the responsibility of farmers, and their supporting research and extension agencies, to practice Best Management Practices (BMPs).
Research has determined that certain management practices not only improve the effectiveness of fertilizers, but also minimize any potential for negative environmental impacts. Recently the global fertilizer industry has supported the promotion of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship concept. These include selection of the right fertilizer source, application at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. When considered together, especially in the context of a specific location and crop, these right practices can support productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship. The 4R approach provides a unique opportunity for farmers to play a major role in working with extension and research advisors to come up with an efficient and effective set of practices for their location.
Moving forward, the demand for cereal grain production continues to increase at a rapid pace to meet the demands of a growing population and shifting dietary needs. Actively engaging the agriculture community in the process of building improved nutrient management practices, along with their other management demands, is a positive step forward in addressing concerns related to global food security.
Mineral vs. organic – it shouldn’t be either or
Plants need nutrients, whether from fertilizers or organic sources, to complete their life cycle of growth and seed production. Organic sources of nutrients, like livestock manure and compost, provide most of the same nutrients found in fertilizers. Organic manure also has the advantage to provide a large range of nutrients to plants during decomposition. However, the nutrients are generally lower in concentration by weight, and are far less predictable in their release pattern.
In order to sustainably increase yields, and enhance soil organic matter, farmers are encouraged to pursue Integrated Plant Nutrient Management, which entails (among other methods) starting with on-farm organic sources and then supplementing them with manufactured fertilizers. Manufactured fertilizers and organic sources of nutrients can, and should, be used in a complementary fashion.
Improving soil health in the developing world
Grain legumes make up an important source of dietary protein and income for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Farmers currently apply little or no fertilizers to their grain legume crops, relying on the natural nitrogen fixation capacity of the crop to meet its nutritional needs. Unfortunately, this is not enough given the deficiency of nutrients in many of these soils. In Kenya, International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) staff have conducted soybean trials in farmers’ fields found that grain yields could be increased by 1 t/ha when fertilizer was added. Further addition of manure and lime on these soils increased yield another 0.5 t/ha. Investment in fertilizer alone increased profits by US$400 to $1200/ha. This improved productivity clearly indicates improved soil health in supporting increased productivity and profitability.
Access to water has created a challenge for many Indian farmers, increasing interest in alternative crops to flooded rice. Working in West Bengal, research staff at IPNI have focused on developing a rice-maize rotation as an alternative to rice-rice to address the water challenge. Maize has proven to be an excellent crop given its high yield, profitability, reduced water requirements, and greater tolerance of poor weather and pest stress. Balanced nutrient supply is the principle challenge most Indian farmers face when it comes to improving productivity (soil health). While nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient, addition of potassium, phosphorus, sulphur and zinc were found in this work to add US$80 – $290/ha to the farmer’s income. Not only was the maize yield increased, but similar responses were recorded in the rice in these on-farm trials. Helping farmers build an understanding about the role that balanced fertilization plays in improving productivity and profitability from healthy soils is key to the future food security in South Asia.
Good management of soil health can be the key to boosting farmers’ productivity and income, whilst promoting sustainability and resilience in our environment, making it a key component of our efforts towards meeting SDG2. By ensuring all farmers around the world have access to the tools and knowledge they need to promote better soil health, we can be one step closer to ending hunger.
A brand new handbook detailing the best ways to effectively manage nutrients on farms has been released, in an effort to help farmers achieve the triple win of boosting productivity, achieving resilience and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Join the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) and experts online for an interactive webinar on the findings of the Nutrient Management Handbook and the latest on soil health guidance.
Speakers:
Patrick Heffer, Director of Agriculture, IFA (International Fertilizer Association)
Adrian Johnston, Former Vice President, Africa & Asia, IPNI (International Plant Nutrition Institute)
Farmer representatives:
Max Schulman, Finish Farmer of cereals and oilseeds, and Representative of the Cereals Working party of CopaCogeca, Europe
Alan Madison, Madison Farm on Soybeans and Corn, Illinois, USA
Join the expert panel to discuss critical questions such as:
Which nutrients are essential for plant growth?
Are organic, or mineral fertilizers more effective?
What are the challenges of nutrient management, and how can they be tackled?
How to implement best management practices ?
How can I use fertilizer in a way that will make my farm “climate-smart”?
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In this guest blog, Dr. Deborah Hellums, Chief Program Officer at the International Fertilizer Development Center outlines the ways that sustainable fertilizer use can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and play a role in SDG 13, combatting climate change.
Every person alive depends on agriculture for food, but agriculture accounts for 12 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. About half of these emissions come from arguably a most necessary component of agriculture: the use of nitrogen fertilizers. Mineral fertilizers, combined with organic fertilizers (along with other inputs and best management practices), currently keep about half of the global population alive. Without them, soils become devoid of nutrients, leading to low and declining yields and soil degradation, including loss of soil carbon. Continue reading →
Tarik Choho, CEO of OCP Africa, started out as an engineer and now runs the African division of an international fertiliser company. He tells Farming First why engineering is so important to the sector.
To find out the range of exciting careers available to young people in agriculture, visit our infographic. For more interview with experts on how they were inspired to take up their careers, visit the Farming First TV channel