IFA Committees

IFA has four Thematic Committees: Agriculture, Production and International Trade, Technical & SHE (Safety, Health and Environment), and Communications and Public Affairs.

The Committees define their own mission and operating structure, in accordance with their mandate, strategic objectives and anti-trust compliance policy, subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

Agriculture

Mission

The mission of IFA’s Agriculture Committee is to promote sustainable fertilizer management, conduct authoritative market analysis related to fertilizer demand and monitor policy, scientific and other developments that may impact present and future demand.

Objectives

  • Promote nutrient stewardship, including effective last-mile delivery;
  • Promote and assist innovation related to fertilizer use and establish partnerships with the scientific community;
  • Develop timely, reliable and authoritative fertilizer demand statistics and forecasts;
  • Address issues facing fertilizer demand, including nutrient management policies and fertilizer subsidies;
  • Educate the public about the role and benefits of fertilizer in global food and nutrition security.

Activities

  • Market Outlooks: The Committee provides, twice a year, a report on the prospects for world and regional agriculture and fertilizer demand.
  • Statistical Program: The Committe updates annually IFA' Fertilizer Consumption database with time series by country and by product from 1973/74 for the production, trade and consumption of mainstream fertilizer products .
  • Publications : The Committee regularily prepares and disseminates publications and position/issue papers on issues relating to fertilizer use and fertilizer best management practices.
  • Dissemination of Fertilizer Best Management Practices : The Committee provides a strong basis for developing practices in the four areas of performance (right product/ source at the right rate, right time and right place) tailored to site- and crop- specific conditions. The Committee also encourages the development of new partnerships (with farmers’ organizations and the food industry) and initiatives to improve outreach to the farmers.
  • Monitoring and analysis of fertilizer-related policies: The Committee monitors and analyses fertilizer-related policies, especially in the field of fertilizer subsidies and nutrient management regulations.
  • Conferences : The Committee co-organizes events (conferences, workshops...) which address a mix of technical, economic and policy issues that relate to food, feed, fibre and bioenergy production, human health, the environment and market development.

Production & International Trade

Mission

To provide authoritative information related to fertilizer supply and monitor developments that may impact future fertilizer output, distribution and trade.

Objectives

  • Provide accurate and timely information on production, shipment and trade statistics of main fertilizer products, intermediates and raw materials;
  • Assess current and future fertilizer supply, through authoritative and objective forecasts;
  • Closely monitor developments that may impact plant nutrient production, distribution and trade and assist in the development of fact-based industry positions;
  • Interact with relevant organizations to gather and promote science- and fact- based information regarding nutrient products, markets and industries;
  • Highlight the fertilizer industry’s contributions to meet growing food demand through capital investments responsible use of natural resources and commitment to smooth, open and faire international trade.

Activities

The Committee prepares comprehensive statistical reports on production and international trade of raw materials, intermediates and fertilizer and global capacity surveys. Detailed PIT statistics are available online in IFA dedicated web pages, for IFA members only. Twice a year, the Secretariat prepares authoritative market outlook reports on fertilizer supply and supply/demand balances.

The Committee organizes for all IFA members the annual IFA Production and International Trade Conference with a programme of keynote presentations on relevant topics of interest to the international fertilizer industry community.

Members of the Committee and its Secretariat are actively involved in several international fertilizer working groups and participate in ad-hoc task forces on specific issues relevant to the mandate of the Committee and interest of IFA members.

Technical & SHE

Mission

Promote the efficient, safe and secure production, storage and transportation of plant nutrients in a sustainable manner.

Objectives

  • To facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge and the adoption of SHE best practices among member companies;
  • To develop industry standards and performance measures that encourage continuous improvement;
  • To interact with relevant organizations and legislative bodies to raise awareness and to enhance mutual understanding of global fertilizer industry issues.

The Technical & SHE Committee accomplishes these objectives with a variety of developmental and outreach platforms, including:

  • Promotion of production technologies techniques;
  • Global benchmarking;
  • Education and advocacy;
  • Technical and educational workshops and special events.

Activities

To access all of the SHE & Tech activities, head to our Product Stewardship page.

Communications & Public Affairs

Mission

To raise the profile and reputation of the fertilizer industry by engaging, communicating and promoting the continuous actions, solutions and commitments of IFA members to address global societal concerns related to agriculture, environment, climate change, fertilizer production and use.

Objectives

  • Educate industry’s stakeholders (including the general public, governments and policymakers, NGOs and civil society, farmers ‘organizations, media, cooperatives and distributors) on the strategic role of the fertilizer industry in providing innovative solutions to global challenges.
  • Shape the industry’s image and reputation on global level through communications and advocacy work.
  • Devise pro-active response, outreach and engagement strategies on behalf of the industry on international level.
  • Work strategically with international associations, governmental and non-governmental organizations to build new partnerships.
  • Monitor, track and analyze trends, issues.
  • Provide communications, international institutional relations, media relations and assistance with governmental relations to support the implementation of IFA strategies.

Activities

  • Develop strategies and tactics for defined and agreed topics and projects.
    • Communications and awareness raising campaigns (digital and traditional media)
    • Advocacy
    • Stakeholder engagement
    • Issue management & Crisis communications
  • Define positions through background papers, message maps, issue briefs and presentations.
  • Set up special projects with other organizations.