High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns

Like people, plants need a multitude of nutrients to thrive. These are categorized into micronutrients, such as zinc and iron; secondary macronutrients, such as calcium and magnesium; and three primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Mineral fertilizers provide highe...

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Main Authors: Hebebrand, Charlotte, Laborde Debucquet, David
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140084
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author Hebebrand, Charlotte
Laborde Debucquet, David
author_browse Hebebrand, Charlotte
Laborde Debucquet, David
author_facet Hebebrand, Charlotte
Laborde Debucquet, David
author_sort Hebebrand, Charlotte
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Like people, plants need a multitude of nutrients to thrive. These are categorized into micronutrients, such as zinc and iron; secondary macronutrients, such as calcium and magnesium; and three primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Mineral fertilizers provide higher and more plant-accessible nutrients, while organic minerals importantly also provide carbon, which contributes to healthy soils. While efforts to reduce nutrient losses to the environment must be continued and stepped up, it bears emphasizing that fertilizers play a crucial role in agricultural productivity. World market prices for both food and fertilizer (here we focus only on N, P, and K) increased significantly over the past year and a half and have climbed to even higher levels following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, hitting their highest levels yet in March (see Figure 1, +125% from January 2021 to January 2022, +17% from January 2022 to March 2022). While there is an immediate concern about the impact of high food prices on food security, especially in low and middle-income countries, fertilizer price spikes and concerns about availability cast a shadow on future harvests, and thus risk keeping food prices high for a longer period. In this blog post — which draws on data from the new IFPRI fertilizer dashboard; IFASTAT, compiled by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA); and FAOSTAT — we discuss the underlying drivers of current high pric es, explain why the global fertilizer market is particularly susceptible to shocks, and examine which countries are most vulnerable to fertilizer market disruptions. A subsequent post will explore short- and medium-term solutions to address the serious affordability and availability concerns.
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spelling CGSpace1400842025-11-06T04:17:34Z High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns Hebebrand, Charlotte Laborde Debucquet, David fertilizers shock policies war coronavirus covid-19 agriculture markets trade coronavirinae trace elements russia soil quality food security ukraine conflicts agricultural productivity coronavirus disease prices climate change Like people, plants need a multitude of nutrients to thrive. These are categorized into micronutrients, such as zinc and iron; secondary macronutrients, such as calcium and magnesium; and three primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Mineral fertilizers provide higher and more plant-accessible nutrients, while organic minerals importantly also provide carbon, which contributes to healthy soils. While efforts to reduce nutrient losses to the environment must be continued and stepped up, it bears emphasizing that fertilizers play a crucial role in agricultural productivity. World market prices for both food and fertilizer (here we focus only on N, P, and K) increased significantly over the past year and a half and have climbed to even higher levels following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, hitting their highest levels yet in March (see Figure 1, +125% from January 2021 to January 2022, +17% from January 2022 to March 2022). While there is an immediate concern about the impact of high food prices on food security, especially in low and middle-income countries, fertilizer price spikes and concerns about availability cast a shadow on future harvests, and thus risk keeping food prices high for a longer period. In this blog post — which draws on data from the new IFPRI fertilizer dashboard; IFASTAT, compiled by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA); and FAOSTAT — we discuss the underlying drivers of current high pric es, explain why the global fertilizer market is particularly susceptible to shocks, and examine which countries are most vulnerable to fertilizer market disruptions. A subsequent post will explore short- and medium-term solutions to address the serious affordability and availability concerns. 2023-07-11 2024-03-14T12:08:54Z 2024-03-14T12:08:54Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140084 en https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294394 https://www.ifpri.org/blog/high-fertilizer-prices-contribute-rising-global-food-security-concerns Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Hebebrand, Charlotte; and Laborde Debucquet, David. 2023. High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns. In The Russia-Ukraine Conflict and Global Food Security, eds. Joseph Glauber and David Laborde Debucquet. Section One: A Conflict with Global Consequences, Chapter 7, Pp. 38-42. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294394_07.
spellingShingle fertilizers
shock
policies
war
coronavirus
covid-19
agriculture
markets
trade
coronavirinae
trace elements
russia
soil quality
food security
ukraine
conflicts
agricultural productivity
coronavirus disease
prices
climate change
Hebebrand, Charlotte
Laborde Debucquet, David
High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title_full High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title_fullStr High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title_full_unstemmed High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title_short High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
title_sort high fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns
topic fertilizers
shock
policies
war
coronavirus
covid-19
agriculture
markets
trade
coronavirinae
trace elements
russia
soil quality
food security
ukraine
conflicts
agricultural productivity
coronavirus disease
prices
climate change
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140084
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AT labordedebucquetdavid highfertilizerpricescontributetorisingglobalfoodsecurityconcerns