f e r t i l i z e r s& a g r i c u l t u r e

September 2015

www.fertilizer.org

Managing water and fertilizers infographic

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2016 IFA Norman Borlaug Award applicationis open 83

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Following three years of thorough discussions and intense negotia-

tions, the 17 Post-2015 Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs) and 169 tar-gets were adopted by United Nations Member States on 2 August. They will be formally ratified on 25-27 September at the SDG Summit in New York, during the 70th UN General Assembly. IFA will have an outreach mission to the Summit.The SDGs, which are both inspirational and aspirational, will be in effect from 2016 to 2030. They are positive with re-spect to encouraging improved produc-tivity for smallholder farmers (including access to inputs, promotion of agricul-tural research and extension services, and support for investment in rural in-frastructure). However, they also address highly complex issues such as natural resource depletion and environmental degradation, including drought and cli-mate change.Outreach concerning the SDG agenda has been much more inclusive than in the case of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 15 years ago. Emphasis has been placed on the need for multi-stakeholder innovative partnerships to achieve universal transformation and yield results across geographies. To this end, over the past three years I have participated – along with dozens of IFA member companies – in numerous outreach missions to the UN agencies in Rome, Nairobi and New York. During these missions IFA has met with over 50 country missions and UN staff.

This concentrated advocacy and infor-mation campaign has focused on the fertilizer industry’s direct and indirect contributions to meeting as many as 12 of the 17 SDGs. Most notably, fertilizers will directly contribute to meeting goals 1-3, which focus on poverty eradication; the promotion of food security and sus-tainable agriculture; and healthy lives and well-being for all.

Fertilizers and the Sustainable Development Goalsby Abdulrahman Jawahery, IFA Chairman

Dispelling myths with five fertilizer facts

the african fertilizer financing mechanism

Increasing fertilizer use to obtain greater yields and incomes by Richard Mkandawire

In 2006 African leaders gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for the Africa Fertil-

izer Summit, signed the historic Abuja Declaration on Fertilizers for an African Green Revolution. A major outcome of the Summit was endorsement of the establishment of an African Fertilizer Fi-nancing Mechanism (AFFM) to increase fertilizer use in Africa, in order to boost agricultural productivity for increased yields and incomes. The AFFM is a financ-ing vehicle for activities that address soil fertility issues and increase agricultural productivity through available inputs.

It works with partners to develop and scale financing mechanisms that support fertilizer production and distribution.

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A. Jawahery, GPIC and T. O'Neill, IRM

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Fertilizers produce yield increases through sustainable intensification. Moreover, they alleviate micronutrient deficiencies by addressing these defi-ciencies from the soil up.Fertilizers also play an important role in closing the gender gap, thus contribut-ing to meeting goal 5 (gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls). As reported by FAO, women’s use of fertilizer is significantly lower than men’s, mainly due to lack of access to credit. This is a major factor that contrib-utes to their yields being around 20-30 percent lower than men’s. In addition, our industry makes a sig-nificant contribution to better water management (goal 6). By developing and disseminating the 4R nutrient stew-ardship framework – which conveys how fertilizer applications can be managed to help meet economic, social and en-vironmental goals by applying the right fertilizer product(s) at the right rate, right time and right place – the industry contributes to improving water uptake by plants, thus improving overall water use efficiency.Another important contribution by our industry concerns combating climate change and its impacts (goal 13). Spe-cifically, by enabling yield increases on existing arable land the fertilizer indus-try contributes to the preservation of forests. Goal 14 (“Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”) is poten-tially the most sensitive for the fertil-izer industry. For target 14.1 (“By 2025,

prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution”) there is a proposal to adopt fertilizer use per hect-are as a measure of nutri-ent pollution. IFA, along with FAO, the World Bank and UNEP, recognize this indicator as inappropriate because there are numer-ous sources of nutrient pollution in addition to fertilizer run-off, such as discharges of sewage (even treated sewage), discharges from aqua-culture, and animal manures. IFA will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the indicator process is sound and scientific and reflects realities pertaining to the industry.The global fertilizer industry must re-main committed to sustainable develop-ment throughout its members’ activities. Sourcing raw materials and producing

crop nutrients sustainably, and ensuring that products are distributed in a man-ner that is mindful of the environment, should be at the core of the fertilizer business and shape the societal role that

industry leaders envi-sion for their compa-nies.Because our member-ship is so diverse and is spread globally, in-dividual members can contribute their capac-ities and expertise at regional and national levels. This is particular-ly relevant in the area

of research and innovation, but also with respect to public-private partner-ships. I cannot help but draw a parallel between the acronym for these partner-ships (which is PPPs) and “people, planet and prosperity”.I am extremely grateful for members’ extraordinary engagement and their support for United Nations outreach and advocacy. So many of you have stepped up to the plate and become ambassadors for the industry, I am reas-sured that together we can create the conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth.Abdulrahman Jawahery is President of Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC), Bahrain. He was elected IFA President during the IFA annual confer-ence in May 2015.More information:https://sustainabledevelopment.un.orgwww.sustainabledevelopment2015.orgwww.globalgoals.org/

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Fertilizers and the Sustainable Development Goals

(from right to left) Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC, Tip O'Neill, IRM and Adel Abdul- malik, GPIC representing the fertilizer industry at the United Nations in June 2015.

Because our mem-bership is so diverse and is spread globally, individual members can contribute their ca-pacities and expertise at regional and national levels.

The Global Goals for Sustainable Development

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2 fertilizers & agriculture

September 2015 3

Soil has seen its place in the sun this year, with the United Nations hav-

ing declared 2015 the International Year of Soils and continued scientific research showing the importance of healthy soils as a key component of our food system. Looking forward, the world is faced with a colossal challenge: to produce more food in the next four decades than we have done in the last 10,000 years combined. This cannot happen without healthy soils to nourish the crops we grow.While fertilizers are a vitally important way to maintain healthy soils, the topic has remained a polemical issue. Are min-eral or organic fertilizers better for the environment? What is even the differ-ence between the two? Many myths have circulated on this topic – but science can set the record straight:

1. Mineral fertilizers can be “natural” tooIt is important to distinguish here what we mean by organic and mineral, natu-ral and synthetic (man-made). Organic fertilizers contain carbon. Some are natural such as manure, and others are synthetic, such as compost. Mineral fertilizers are all inorganic, can be syn-thetic, such as manmade fertilizers like urea, but they can also occur naturally in the environment, such as phosphate rock and potassium chloride.

2. Mineral fertilizers do not poison the soilNeither mineral nor organic fertilizers poison the soil when applied at ag-ronomically correct rates, timing, and

placement and with the right source (the 4Rs). The important distinction to make is that excessive rates of either mineral or organic fertilizer can cause serious en-vironmental damage. Excessive applica-tion rates of either organic or mineral fertilizers can cause increased green-house gas (N2O, nitrous oxide) emissions (which is 310 times as powerful as CO2) and methane (which is 20 times as pow-erful as CO2), nitrate leaching to ground-waters and runoff entering waterways.

3. We do not lose as much of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops as commonly thoughtCrops retain between 30 and 70 percent of fertilizers applied and it has been assumed that the remainder has been entirely lost to leaching, denitrification, N2O gas emissions, runoff and erosion. But science has a different answer. Mi-crobes in the soil take up much of the nitrate from fertilizers before the roots can. They convert it to soil organic mat-ter that later is mineralized and taken up by plants. Far from being a total “loss” this in fact makes the soil richer.

4. Fertilizers do not deplete soil organic matterAs a continuation of the point above, science also tells us that mineral fertil-izers actually increase crop biomass, if crop residues are incorporated in the soil. You will have more crop residue and roots to decompose if mineral fertilizer has boosted your yield. This in turn in-creases soil organic matter. Using a com-bination of mineral and organic fertiliz-ers increases soil organic matter further.

5. Organic fertilizers are not the only route to plant nutritionThe plant does not care whether the nutrients it takes up comes from fer-tilizer dissolution, soil organic matter mineralization, or the decomposition of manures, roots or crop residues. But the soil does. We need to recognize that organic and mineral fertilizers offer dif-ferent benefits to the soils. Organic in-puts provide carbon, the energy source for soil micro-organisms. Mineral fertil-izers do not contain carbon. However, organic fertilizers have much lower nu-trient content – only about 1-3 percent nitrogen. Once again, science indicates that combining organic and mineral fer-tilizers is the best approach.These five facts dispel the notion that organic farming is somehow superior to conventional methods. Using only or-ganic fertilizers can work in some areas where the soil is already very nutrient rich. But it is important to remember that this is mainly a product of decades of mineral fertilization. However, it is simply not possible to rely on organic farming in areas where land is depleted of nutrients, such as in much of sub-Sa-haran Africa. Even cattle manure cannot work efficiently in these areas, as the cattle themselves are often undernour-ished and therefore their manure ab-sorbs rather than releases vital nutrients. It is our duty to ensure that farmers all over the world have access to this sci-ence, in order to grow the food they need, and make sure the environment is left intact for future generations.Pedro Sanchez is Director Agriculture and Food Security Center, The Earth In-stitute, Columbia University, New York.

Dispelling myths with five fertilizer factsby Pedro Sanchez

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September 2015 5

IFA newsIFFCO joins Protect & Sustain Hall of Fame

Protect & Sustain is the de facto global product stewardship standard for fertiliz-ers. It was developed by IFA members for IFA members and is externally audited by SGS and DNV. Our Hall of Fame proudly presents its latest addition: the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. IFFCO reached the certification’s excellence-lev-el for their head offices and units at Phul-pur, Aonla and Kalol, as well as at Kandla and Paradeep. Congratulations!More information about Protect & Sus-tain at www.protectandsustain.org and for related questions contact Volker An-dresen at vandresen@fertilizer.org

Committee on World Food Security (CFS)

An IFA delegation led by President Ab-dulrahman Jawahery and Director Gen-eral Charlotte Hebebrand will attend the CFS on 12-15 October in Rome. The event will comprise bilateral meetings with member countries including the Africa Group, Brazil, Canada, US, Australia; as well as a bilateral with FAO Director Gen-eral José Graziano da Silva. A high-level dinner sponsored by GPIC will bring to-gether business actors and UN diplomats and Ambassadors.

IFA presentations at international conferences

View the latest IFA presentations and vid-eos at international conferences at:www.fertilizer.org//En/Knowledge_ Resources/Library/ IFA_Secretariat_ Presentations.aspx

Infographic on water and fertilizer management

Adubação Foliar - Fundamentos Científicos e Técnicas de Campo

Victoria Fernández, Thomas Sotiropoulos and Patrick Brown, June 2015.The foliar publication provides readers with up-to date information and clarification on the scientific basis of foliar fertilization and plant responses to it. It describes the ‘state-of- knowledge’ on the mechanisms of uptake by plant leaves of foliar-applied nutrient solutions.

Some paper copies are available in Portuguese from IFA.A Spanish version will also be released in October 2015.

In August, IFA released an infographic on water and fertilizer management, which highlights the key chal-lenges and opportunities for improving the use effi-ciency of these two key resources for increasing agri-cultural productivity (opposite page). Previously IFA also published a 4-page executive sum-mary brochure in addition to the 257-page book.

On the same subject, the latest IFA blog focuses on World Water Week – A Time to Reflect on the Role of Water in Food and Nutrition Security at:www.fertilizer.org/Blog

Managing Fertilizers to Enhance Soil Health

As a contribution to the International Year of Soils, IFA recently released a booklet on ´Managing Fertilizers to Enhance Soil Health' co-authored by Bijay Singh and John Ryan, two well-respected soil and crop nutrition scientists. This paper updates scientific knowledge on the links between fertilizer use and soil health, and shows that, when properly managed, fertilizers can improve soil quality, contrary to what is claimed by fertilizer opponents and what is often believed by the general public.

More on www.fertilizer.org/Library

IFA past President Esin Mete, Rakesh Kapur, Joint Managing Director of IFFCO and Jim Prokopanko, Chairman IFA Tech-nical & SHE Committee

The creation of the AFFM has been good news for African agriculture. Heads of State and Government have been iden-tifying challenges which have kept fer-tilizer use at a dismal average rate that still does not surpass 12 kg per hectare in sub-Saharan Africa. Among other problems, limited access to finance, especially by small and medium-sized agribusinesses throughout the fertil-izer value chain, limits the amount of productivity-enhancing fertilizer being distributed and used.The AFFM, housed at the African Devel-opment Bank (AfDB) in Côte d’Ivoire, is putting measures in place to catalyse increased investments that will enhance fertilizer production as well as consump-tion at affordable prices (especially by smallholder farmers). The AFFM focuses on two types of activities: facilitating in-vestments; and encouraging the private sector to invest in fertilizer value chain development, including the growth

of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). There is an urgent need for tar-geted efforts to strengthen emerging African SMEs involved in importing, dis-tributing, blending and retailing fertil-izers. This is an area where the AFFM can provide financing and thus help bring about rural wealth creation in Africa.The AFFM was initiated at an opportune time. African leaders have embraced ag-riculture as a top development priority. Moreover, they are beginning to rec-ognize the role of the private sector in catalyzing agricultural productivity and growth. Within the private sector there is increasing recognition of the impor-tance of nurturing SMEs in the agricul-tural space, including those operating along the fertilizer value chain. SMEs face considerable challenges in growing their businesses, such as limited access to financing and knowledge. The AFFM focuses on both types of challenges, in regard to which efforts must go hand in hand. While increasing the currently low fertilizer rates per hectare will help close unacceptably high yield gaps, it is also important to ensure efficient and effec-tive fertilization, which should incorpo-rate the use of the right nutrient sources applied at the right rate, time and place. For this to happen, however, innovative financing interventions are needed to support SMEs.Greater access to credit facilities has often been identified as one way to in-crease investment in African agriculture. The African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), among other orga-nizations and national governments, has worked closely with the AfDB to catalyze the operation of the AFFM. AFAP is playing a key role in the AFFM’s implementation. It continues to act as a conduit between activities by the public sector and the private sector aimed at

strengthening the fertilizer industry. Since 2012 AFAP has united the dedica-tion and expertise of the public and pri-vate sectors to strengthen the market-place and encourage more consistent and responsible fertilizer use among smallholder farmers. Through the Agri-business Partnership Contract, AFAP has worked with various small and medium-sized agribusinesses, providing supply payment guarantees and Matching In-vestment Support for the expansion of fertilizer warehouses in Ghana, Mozam-bique and Tanzania.Since the signing of the Abuja Declara-tion in 2006, average fertilizer use in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased from 8 to 12 kg per hectare, a sign that will-ingness and subsequent action by Afri-can leaders will eventually bring about a Green Revolution in Africa that will result in sustainable poverty alleviation. Richard Mkandawire is Vice President, African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Part-nership (AFAP) info@afap-partnership.orghttp://afap-partnership.org

More information:www.fertilizer.org//En//Media/Press_Re-leases_Detailed/15_July_2015.aspx www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/african-fertiliz-er-financing-mechanism/

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The African Fertilizer Financing Mecanism

Did you knowFinancial contributions towards

the operationalization of the

AFFM include: Nigeria (US$ 6.3

million), Tanzania (US$ 2 million),

Chad (US$ 1 million) and AFAP

through AGRA (US$ 1 million).

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IFA events

More information on upcoming events: www.fertilizer.org/ifaevents

*Restricted to IFA member companies

September 2015 7

Crossroads Asia-Pacific20-22 October, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaFocusing on the pivotal Asian region and Pacific basin, IFA's Crossroads Asia-Pacif-ic is an extremely popular event, with some 400 participants in attendance.

This event is organized under the guidance of the Regional Board Members for all members with an interest in Asia and the Pacific as well as newcomers acquainting themselves with the Association in view of potential membership.

Strategic Forum*18-19 November, Paris, FranceIFA’s Strategic Forum is the second Gen-eral Meeting of the Association of the year, dedicated to strategic discussions on the main opportunities and chal-lenges facing the global fertilizer in-

dustry. IFA members also convene to review the association’s strategic plan, work programme and budget.

IFA has recently reached out to com-panies around the world to better

understand how to engage their Fu-ture Fertilizer Leaders. The member feedback suggested making IFA's main conferences more accessible, to allow younger participants to pick the brains of the most successful executives of this industry, and to offer them the opportu-

nity to network with each other. On the occasion of the Annual Conference in Istanbul, IFA lowered the entrance fees in the “35 years and under” category by 50 percent (resulting in a record number of over a 100 registrations). It organized a very interactive session with Keytrade President & CEO Melih Keyman and past IFA President Bill Doyle, including the

new IFA President Abdulrahman Jawa-hery, followed by a dedicated network-ing reception. The feedback from the younger participants was very positive. More of this to come at the IFA’s next Strategic Forum in Paris on 18-19 No-vember 2015.

Successful Future Fertilizer Leaders event

Joint Agriculture & Communication Meeting*26-28 January, Rome, ItalyIf you are interested in discussing the in-dustry’s role in coordinating actions on agriculture and communications activi-ties, make sure you register to IFA’s Joint

Agriculture & Communications Meeting 2015

In collaboration with IFDCPhosphate Fertilizer Production Technology Workshop5-9 October 2015, Berlin, GermanyThe workshop is designed for engineers working in the fertil-izer industry, particularly those who have recently assumed new responsibilities, to renew and/or increase their technical knowledge in phosphate fertilizer production and for engi-neers to become better acquainted with the best available production processes in the industry.ifdc.org/phosphate-fertilizer-production-technology-with-ifa/

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Printed with vegetable-based ink by Point44 on paper from sustainably managed forests.

International Fertilizer Industry Association28, rue Marbeuf, 75008 Paris, FranceTel: +33 1 53 93 05 00 Fax: +33 1 53 93 05 45/47ifa@fertilizer.org www.fertilizer.org @FertilizerNews!

Fertilizers & Agriculture is a quarterly newsletter published by IFA covering issues in relation to fertilizers and sustainable agriculture.

Mailing listSubscription to Fertilizers & Agriculture is free of charge. To receive a hard copy, send full address details to be added to the mailing list. Additional copies may be supplied to organizations to circulate on behalf of IFA. To consult current and past issues of Fertilizers & Agriculture: www.fertilizer.org/newsletters

ContributionsWe invite your contributions of letters, documents, articles, photographs, etc.

Director General of IFA: Charlotte HebebrandEditor-in-Chief: Claudine Aholou-Pütz

Material in F&A may be reproduced only after prior consent by IFA.

Reference to individuals, publications, research, products, companies or organizations does not indicate endorsement by IFA.

For information on IFA’s activities:www.fertilizer.org

© International Fertilizer Industry Association 2015

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Together with the International Zinc Association (IZA) and HarvestPlus, IFA will co-organize the 4th International Zinc Symposium on 15-17 October in Sao Paulo. If you are interested in zinc fertilization and its beneficial impacts on crop production and human health, this is the place to be. Delegates will enjoy learning the latest scien-tific developments in these fields from first-class keynote speakers, and networking with potential scientific and industry partners. Should you want to raise the profile of your company, you may also want to benefit from the sponsorship opportunities.Regularly updated information on the symposium is available online at

http://zinccrops2015.org/

IFDC featured on The VisionariesThe Visionaries documentary on IFDC is available online. The program showcas-es IFDC’s work empowering smallholder farmers and building markets. Conver-sations with government officials, fer-tilizer industry professionals, IFDC staff and farmers underscore agriculture’s critical role in boosting global economic growth.Hosted by actor Sam Waterston, The Vi-sionaries is a US public television series that features non-profit organizations catalyzing positive change around the world.

http://ifdc.org/2015/07/20/ifdc-featured-on-the-visionaries/

2016 IFA Norman Borlaug Awardfor excellence in crop nutrition knowledge transfer

Invitation for applicationIFA recognizes individuals whose contribution to effective last-mile delivery has been outstanding as they play a crucial role in transferring knowledge from researchers to the farmers.For 2016, IFA is inviting individuals from developing countries and countries with economies in transition involved in crop nutrition knowledge transfer whose work resulted in long-term impacts on the adoption of nutrient best management prac-tices by farmers to apply for the award. His/her work must show significant improve-ments in productivity, profitability, fertilizer use efficiency, environmental sustain-ability, food quality and human health, and rural life in general.The recipient of the IFA Norman Borlaug Award will receive 10,000 euros and will be invited as a guest to the IFA Annual Conference to be held in May 2016 in Moscow, Russia.

For information on the procedure and to download a nomination form:

www.fertilizer.org/AwardBorlaug

Regions eligible for the 2016 IFA NB Award• Africa;• Asia (except Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Taiwan Province of China);• Eastern Europe and Central Asia;• Latin America and the Caribbean;• Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand).

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