FERTILIZERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
For more than a century , fertilizers have driven agricultural intensification , feeding more than half the world ’ s population . Their use slows deforestation , the source of 12 % of all greenhouse gases , and prevents the depletion of soils ’ nutrient and carbon contents , the cause of low and declining crop yields . Improved fertilizer development and dissemination will be the catalyzing factor in achieving a 60 % increase in global food production by 2050 , when the world ’ s population could exceed 10 billion .
Despite these necessary benefits , losses associated with nitrogen-based fertilizers constitute half of agriculture ’ s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions . In addition , the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer overuse can be seen in the pollution of waterbodies , such as the Chesapeake Bay , the Gulf of Mexico , and the Great Barrier Reef .
IFDC ’ s Fertilizer Research and Global Field Programs , realizing these benefits and risks , design , promote , and implement specialized solutions centered around soil and plant health that assist farmers around the world to profitably practice sustainable , nutrition-sensitive , and climate-smart agriculture .
IFDC ’ S APPROACHES
Balanced Fertilizers While average nitrogen use efficiency for cereal production can be as low as 30 % in developing countries , IFDC research demonstrates that improved management practices and balanced plant nutrition , including incorporating small amounts of secondary and micronutrients ( SMNs ), increase nitrogen uptake and boost farm yields by as much as 35 % across various sub-Saharan soils and crops .
SMN-containing fertilizers also increase plant tolerance to drought and , as part of a balanced fertilizer regime , can boost water use efficiency by 250 %. Moreover , in tandem with increased nutrient uptake , SMNcontaining fertilizers can improve the nutritional value of crops . For example , IFDC found that some formulations can increase the amount of zinc in grains by as much as 65 %.
Urea Deep Placement In Bangladesh , the most climate-vulnerable nation , farmers intensively cultivate rice on 80 % of all land holdings . Widespread nitrogen fertilizer overuse results in major losses , creating environmental stress and placing an economic burden on farmers and the nation ’ s financial capital .
As a solution , IFDC introduced urea deep placement ( UDP ) to smallholder Bangladeshi rice farmers , more than 2 million of whom apply the technology on 1 million hectares of rice . UDP reduces urea use by more than 30 % while increasing yields by 15 %. This improved efficiency results in a 60-80 % decrease in nitrous oxide emissions . Farmers experience 24 % higher incomes , while the government of Bangladesh saves $ 30 million per year on fertilizer subsidies .