International Fertilizer Association Blog

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...

16 Sep 2020

Plant Micronutrient Uptake Challenges and the Benefits of Chelated Fertilizers

Adam Nawrocki, Director of ADOB, explains why plants can have difficulties accessing micronutrients and explains some of the advantages of using chelated micronutrients in both soils and fertigation....

24 Apr 2020

The Fertilizer Industry Creates Digital Innovations to Overcome COVID-19

Over the last few years the fertilizer industry has increasingly embraced digitalization. Connected plants are helping to make fertilizer production more sustainable while digital tools monitor and ef...

20 Apr 2020

IFA Members Around the World Step Up to Battle COVID-19

As the world fights the Coronavirus pandemic, fertilizer companies everywhere are stepping up to the plate to play their part by contributing much needed resources to support healthcare systems, farme...

15 Apr 2020

South Asian IFA Members Provide Community Support in the Fight Against COVID-19

During the ongoing challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, the fertilizer industry in South Asia is not only working hard to ensure the continued supply of vital fertilizers but also support farmers a...

09 Apr 2020

Coronavirus Fertilizer Production Disruptions and Support Measures: Lessons learned from China

By providing precise and consistent nutrients to plants, fertilizers are crucial for increasing yields on existing farmland, improving soil carbon sequestration, protecting wild ecosystems and ensurin...

09 Apr 2020

Government Measures to Safeguard Fertilizers and Support Agriculture in the face of COVID-19

As the world enters a crucial period of agricultural production amid ongoing COVID-19 travel, trade and economic disruptions, it is vitally important that farmers can continue to produce enough food....

09 Apr 2020

The Vital Role of Micronutrient Fertilizers for Improving Plant and Human Health

As the recently published report from the CFS’s High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition highlights, a large part of the world’s population is currently not getting enough nutrie...

05 Mar 2020

Mind the Gap! The Urgent Need for Gender Equality in Agriculture

Empowering women farmers by increasing access to fertilizers and training them on their proper use could help feed an additional 150 million people and break their cycle of poverty. #EachforEqual...

25 Feb 2020

5 Reasons Why Fertilizers are Key for Transforming Agriculture

“Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental steward...

15 Feb 2020

Celebrating 350 Years of Phosphorus

Besides being the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table, 2019 is also a major milestone for one of its 118 elements that is crucial to life on earth. Discovered 350 years ago, phosphorus is one o...

06 Feb 2020

Why Fertilizers are Vital for Supporting, Improving and Protecting Plant Health

As proclaimed by the U.N., 2020 is the International Year of Plant Health. Protecting plant health is crucial for ensuring that we can grow enough crops on existing land to help end hunger, reduce pov...

16 Dec 2019

5 Reasons Why Nutrient Stewardship is Crucial for Sustainable Food Systems

“Sustainable food systems are those food systems that aim at achieving food and nutrition security and healthy diets while limiting negative environmental impacts and improving socio-economic we...

13 Oct 2019

Global Fertilizer Day 2019

Innovations are changing many aspects of the world and farming is no exception! Precision Agriculture uses a range of new technologies and data to improve crop production management. Many of these...

18 Mar 2019

Lis Mullin Bernhardt

On SDG 6, freshwater nutrient pollution monitoring and effective agricultural practices for increasing water use efficiency and reducing nutrient losses IFA: Can you give us an introduction to Su...

29 Jan 2019

The Periodic Table and Plant Nutrition Pioneers

2019 is the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. Developed by Dmitry Mendeleev, it has been one of the most important scientific tools for the development of modern chemistry,...

10 Jan 2019

Dr Rolf Sommer

On how climate change may affect the tropics, the state of the world’s soils and the biggest agricultural developments by 2030. As part of the IFA2030 fertilizer industry strategic review exercis...