Blog - Fertilizer

01 Sep 2023

Celebrating one year of IFA’s Sustainable Fertilizer Academy

As the Sustainable Fertilizer Academy turns one year old, IFA Sustainability Director Volker Andresen reflects on the last twelve months and looks ahead at the exciting plans for the SFA's next year of operation.

06 Jun 2023

Three things to know about world phosphate rock resources and reserves

In this blog, IFA's Deputy Director General, Patrick Heffer and Matthew Lisley, Manager, Consulting Services at Argus Media, summarize the main messages of the latest assessment of world phosphate roc...

22 Mar 2023

IFA Market Intelligence conducts port and farm tour in Brazil

Market analysts conduct most of their daily work from behind a desk. However, for any fertilizer analyst to fully grasp the inner workings of the fertilizer market, research trips and site visits offe...

21 Mar 2023

IFA’s new public website offers a revitalized resource for fertilizer industry information

I am pleased to announce the launch today of IFA’s new public website. The site has been designed to be an engaging ‘one-stop shop’ for information about IFA and the fertilizer industry, showcas...

19 Jan 2023

IFA engagement at the Climate Change and Biodiversity COPs (Conference of Parties)

IFA participated in both COP 27 in Sharm el Sheikh and the Biodiversity COP 15 in Montréal during November and December last year. Our objectives for these events were to highlight the solutions the...

21 Dec 2022

Five fertilizer market dynamics that tell the story of 2022

In this blog, IFA's Market Intelligence Director, Laura Cross, explains the five key fertilizer market dynamics of 2022. To say that 2022 was a rollercoaster year for fertilizer markets is an under...

08 Nov 2022

IFA at COP 27

Food systems and soil health are the focus for IFA at COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 6-18. Photo by Shayan Ghiasvand on Unsplash In support of the first Food Systems...

13 Sep 2022

Routes to Decarbonizing Fertilizer Production

Food is loaded with energy, and it takes energy to make the fertilizers that feed the crops that become food for almost half the world’s population. At IFA, we are seeing many opportunities on the...

06 Sep 2022

Reflections on ONS 2022

The ONS Foundation is a non-profit organization facilitating discussions and collaboration on energy, technology and innovation. Last week, it brought together executives, policymake...

16 Aug 2022

How Do Droughts Affect Food Systems

The global food production depends on many driving forces and the availability of water is one. So, what are the effects of drought on crop production? What can farmers do at times o...

16 Aug 2022

IFA Annual Conference 2022 – Market Themes and Key Takeaways

How to navigate market risks while pursuing sustainability goals was the focus of the IFA Annual Conference in Vienna, Austria. The conference brought together the key players in the fertilizer indust...

04 Mar 2022

12 Environmental and Health Benefits of Nutrient Stewardship

As the UN Environment Assembly met this week under the theme of “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” IFA has been sharing knowledge about how mineral fe...

07 Feb 2022

Why are fertilizer prices so high?

Global fertilizer prices are market-driven, and determined by the balance between supply and demand, underpinned by production costs. Prices also vary with agricultural seasonality...

13 Oct 2021

Global Fertilizer Day 2021

For this year’s Global #FertilizerDay celebrations, IFA is showcasing the fertilizer industry’s commitment to sustainability and the importance of plant nutrition for creating sustainable food sys...

11 Oct 2021

Nutrient Management and Biodiversity

Agriculture, human health, climate change and biodiversity are all interwoven I’ve worked in biodiversity conservation for around a quarter of a century. Whilst many of my conservation peers and co...

01 Sep 2021

The Fertilizer Industry Sets the Standard for Safety and Security

Product safety, security and sustainability are a concern for many businesses. For the fertilizer industry they are so important that it created its own bespoke best practices certification. Developed...

13 Nov 2020

Growing US Population Potassium Deficiency Linked to Crop Removal from Soils

A recently published research paper in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry has found evidence that the agricultural crop removal of potassium (K) is likely to have contributed to the decli...

04 Nov 2020

Dr. André Bationo on Supporting Smallholders, Micro-Dosing and Warrantage, and Ways to Improve Soil Fertility in Africa

Dr. André Bationo is Chief of Party for the Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program (SAPEP) and winner of the 2020 Africa Food Prize, and 2009 IFA Norman Borlaug Award, for his wo...

13 Oct 2020

Global Fertilizer Day 2020

To celebrate this year’s Global #FertilizerDay, IFA is focusing on gender diversity and equality. Read profiles of some of the many remarkable women who are helping to drive the fertilizer indust...

01 Oct 2020

Practical solutions to sustainably intensify agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa

An agronomic revolution is needed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which is home to 31% of the world’s 821 million hungry, according to the FAO (2019). The challenge is to move SSA from the current si...

24 Sep 2020

Applying Crushed Rocks on Farmland Could Help Capture Billions of Extra Tonnes of CO2 per Year Says New Study

A new study led by the University of Sheffield, published in Nature in July, claims that spreading rock dust on farmland could remove up to up to two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂...

16 Sep 2020

Agronomic Biofortification Programs and Their Potential to Overcome Global Iodine Deficiencies

Dr. Katja Hora, Specialty Plant Nutrition Research Manager at SQM, talks about why iodine is so important for the human diet, the role of food that has been biofortified with fertilizers and how Italy...

16 Sep 2020

The Potential of Fertilizers to Further Reduce Hidden Hunger in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

Written by Dr. Howarth Bouis, HarvestPlus Director and 2016 World Food Prize Laureate and, Dr. Ismail Cakmak, Sabanci University Professor and HarvestZinc project coordinator. The problem of mine...

16 Sep 2020

Micronutrients’ Roles in Improving Crop Yields and the Effectiveness of Nanoscale Formulations

Dr. Upendra Singh, Deputy Director of Headquarters Research at the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) discusses the many benefits of micronutrients for improving both crop and human he...