International Fertilizer Association Blog

26 Mar 2024

Embracing Sustainability and Innovation: Highlights from IFA’s 2024 Global Sustainability Conference

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) recently concluded its highly anticipated Global Sustainability Conference in Amsterdam, an event that brought together over 160 industry leaders, expert...

06 Mar 2024

IFA on the road: 2023 in review

The global fertilizer market had another challenging year in 2023, underpinned by macroeconomic pressures, continued high feedstock costs and logistical disruptions. Further disruption came from confl...

16 Jan 2024

Toward a sustainable and secure global food system

Food is essential to humans, and a healthy environment is essential to grow food. It might stand to reason that environmental protection would be at the forefront of agricultural policy. But the story...

18 Dec 2023

IFA presents role of food and food systems in climate through its engagement at COP28

COP28 concluded in Dubai (UAE) on December 13, following two weeks of country negotiations and hundreds of events on- and off-site. IFA ensured the visibility of the fertilizer industry, shared its...

22 Nov 2023

Soils take the stage for a day at COP28

“Soils: Where food begins” will be the theme of this year’s World Soil Day on December 5. In line with this theme, the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) will celebrate the day at the C...

22 Nov 2023

IFA at COP28

In two short weeks, delegates attending the 28th COP (Conference of the Parties) of the UNFCCC (the UN body responsible for the global climate agenda) will be arriving in Dubai to kick off their meeti...

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...