2019-12-20 Participation and messages from the International Association of Fertilizer Manufacturers at COP25 held in Madrid
During the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), held from December 2 to 13 in Madrid, the International Fertilizer Manufacturers Association (IFA) has participated in various forums, highlighting the essential role of fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. sustainable. Among others, it has emphasized the following messages about fertilizers:
-They play a vital role in the production of approximately 50 percent of the world's food supply.
-They allow us to face the challenge of having to increase agricultural productivity by 60 percent, to feed a population of 9,800 million people forecast for the year 2050.
-Its application must be efficient and effective to minimize losses to the environment.
-They have a key role in guaranteeing food security, improving plant resistance, preventing deforestation and increasing carbon sequestration by the soil.
-Advances in agricultural productivity have made it possible to preserve from conversion to arable land, between 1961 and 2005, approximately one billion hectares of land, which has led to savings in carbon emissions of 317 to 590 Gt of CO2-eq (thanks to not converting that surface).
-In sub-Saharan Africa (the region with the lowest fertilizer consumption in the world), a 20 percent increase in fertilizer use could result in more than 2 million hectares of uncultivated land, and up to 13 million tons of carbon sequestered compared to 0.4 million tons emitted.
-Good nutrient management is also a key component to improve soil health, which is the largest terrestrial reserve of carbon and can store up to 50-300 tons of carbon per hectare, equivalent to 180-1,100 tons of CO2, which which represents 89 percent of the future mitigation potential of agriculture (according to the IPCC).
The IFA Press Release is available at the following link on its website: https://www.fertilizer.org/Public/Media/Press_Releases/Public/Media/Press_Releases/2019_11_27_COP25.aspx
