The Fertilizer Shortage is a Global Health Issue
Around the 1950s, most of the world faced a critical food crisis, with some countries on the brink of widespread famine. To meet the world’s needs, scientists embarked on a massive campaign to study agricultural techniques and strategies that would bring more food to those with the least access. This “Green Revolution,” taking place between the 1950s and late 1960s, allowed for millions to avoid the problem of hunger in the subsequent decades.
One of the main strategies employed by the Green Revolution was the use and implementation of chemical fertilizers. Previously, farmers would use substances like manure and compost, which were naturally found but easily expendable. Chemical fertilizers, made up of a combination of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, have been estimated to have increased the per capita food supply by 30%.
Further, the global food supply is facing a crisis of inability to meet demand. As populations have grown, so has their total food need. Additionally, more and more space is taken up for housing or mass-producing certain crops, forcing countries to diversify their food supplies or import staple foods like wheat and soybeans from their neighbors. Climate change is also changing the nutrients in the soil and has a massive impact on the food quality we are seeing today.
Additionally, there has been an increased shortage in chemical fertilizers, one of the main, and often most costly, components of modern farming. Most chemical fertilizers contain a mixture of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, and certain countries choose to produce and export some of these substances. Countries like Russia and China are large producers of these ingredients, with Russia exporting 20% of the world’s nitrogen and China producing 10% of the world’s urea, another key ingredient in fertilizers.
Differing trade relationships with these countries change the overall price of chemical fertilizer. When Russia invaded Ukraine and war broke out in the region, diplomatic and trade agreements were essentially tossed away. Realizing their advantageous position as fertilizer exporters, Russia and Belarus, another country in Russia’s diplomatic orbit, have cut off sales or greatly increased the price of fertilizers to earn themselves a better bargaining position.
The fertilizer that is produced outside of these countries, within the European Union for example, is not enough to meet the high demand of farmers worldwide, leading to high competition and prices. Farmers have to decide which crops to fertilize if any at all, and the effects can include a lower yield or an entire loss of their crop. Brazil, which imports over 80% of its fertilizer, is one of many countries at risk of low crop yields and an insufficient food supply for its citizens.
Some have used this historic rise in prices to explore alternatives to chemical fertilizer use. Researchers have tested the nitrogen-producing abilities of certain genetically-modified crops like corn and found that after some adjustment, the plants were able to produce a significant amount of the nitrogen they needed naturally, eliminating the need for any additives. Other alternatives include improving the overall health of the soil itself through means like no-till practices and covering the ground with non-harvestable cover crops. Others still look to more creative means, including the recycling of human urine into viable fertilizer alternatives, a movement some are calling “peecycling.”
Overall, food systems are part of a massive, interrelated global system. While some are mass importers of fertilizer, the rest of the world may still rely on their actual crop yield, creating an overall dependency between nations. In this way, the high cost of chemical fertilizers is borne by all. While alternatives exist, this issue will require the cooperation of researchers, governments, and farmers to continue feeding the world’s growing population.
