Fertilizer is a vital component for both food and global security
Fertilizer is responsible for approximately 50 percent of the world’s food supply. Each day millions of acres of farmland rely on fertilizer to grow hundreds of different crops in almost every country on Earth. Senior Economist of The Fertilizer Institute, Veronica Nigh, advocates for the positive contributions fertilizer are making on the environment, economy, and society.
The Fertilizer Institute represents anyone that sells fertilizer in the United States and is built to empower the fertilizer industry that will nourish the world.
“We want a strong industry that advances the economic and reputational health of the fertilizer industry by advocating for the economic, environmental and social benefits of fertilizer,” says Nigh.
The Fertilizer Institute has worked hard to refocus their research to prioritize the promotion and funding of helping manufacturers produce the next generation of machinery and to help farmers use their land more effectively.
“We need commercial fertilizer in order to feed our growing population. You must remind people that eating is a luxury, if you don’t have the inputs to grow a crop,” says Nigh.
56 percent of global production is consumed domestically, and 44 percent of global production is exported.
“When you think about how globally dependent, we are on trading products, it is important to us that we start thinking about the future and how we can produce these products more domestically,” says Nigh.
Food security is global security in some cases. The Fertilizer Institute plays a key role in ensuring our long-term security as a nation and as a food source around the world.
“50 percent of global production would go away if we didn’t have commercial fertilizers and nitrogen plays an important role in that,” according to The Fertilizer Institute.
To hear more from Veronica Nigh and ways The Fertilizer Institute is advocating for importance of fertilizer across the world, check out Episode 63 of The FieldLink Podcast on YouTube or wherever you listen.