SA Graan Julie 2016

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Correct fertilisation can help
combat climate change
With a growing world population
and ever increasing global de-
mand for food, it is more im-
portant than ever to maximise
crop yields and fertiliser will play a critical
role in achieving that goal. Accordingly, the
focus of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
efforts must be on improving the relative
carbon intensity of agricultural crops grown
with the assistance of fertilisers, rather than
on reducing absolute emissions. In other
words, efforts should be focussed on in-
creasing nutrient use efficiency without
jeopardising productivity.
It also bears emphasis that fertiliser related
GHG emissions can be substantially miti-
gated as a result of enhancing crop inten-
sity through the use of fertilisers. Fertilisers
play a key role in helping to maintain the
integrity of the globe’s forests (an essential
carbon sink) by allowing for increased pro-
ductivity on arable land, thus forestalling
deforestation and its associated GHG emis-
sions.
Fertilisers also increase the carbon seques-
tration potential of agricultural soils by con-
tributing to the building up of soil organic
matter. Increased soil organic matter gener-
ates higher nutrient uptake, and nutrients
stimulate plant growth, which, in return,
contributes to absorb more CO2 from the
atmosphere.
Considering that global agricultural output
would be reduced by 50% without the use
of mineral fertilisers, the 2,5% of total GHG
emissions related to fertilisers seems rather
negligible – especially when compared to
the 11% directly associated with agricul-
ture and the additional 10% that relate to
forestry and other land uses. Nonetheless,
the industry is strongly committed to con-
tinue reducing fertiliser-related greenhouse
gas emissions.
Industry engagement
to limit greenhouse gas
emission
The fertiliser industry works with scientists,
producers, international organisations and
governments to develop and adopt inno-
vative agricultural practices that contribute
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A large number of programmes are devel-
oped worldwide to implement soil- and
crop-specific nutrient management prac-
tices with the objective to optimise product
efficacy and minimise nutrient losses to
the environment:
Fertiliser best management practices
consist in applying the right fertiliser
source at the right rate, right time, and
right place. This initiative is called the
4Rs.
Research and training on soil analysis
allow for the development of locally
adapted protocols on application rates,
for instance in relation to the moisture
content, pH or temperature of soils.
Precision agriculture offers a range
of monitoring technologies that help
producers to apply precisely the right
amount and the right type of fertiliser.
Integrated plant nutrient management
promotes a better integration of locally
available organic nutrient sources such
as animal manure and compost with
mineral fertilisers.
As far as production-related emissions are
concerned, fertiliser manufacturers across
the globe have been taking substantial
measures to reduce their carbon footprint
and continually strive to improve their
energy efficiency, as evidenced in IFA’s
benchmark results on energy efficiency and
greenhouse gas emissions. For instance,
consumption of energy by ammonia plants
has decreased by more than 15% over the
past decade. Overall, fertiliser production
has become increasingly efficient over the
past several decades due to the adoption
of best available technologies.
To facilitate carbon sequestration, the num-
ber one priority is to prevent further defor-
estation through sustainable intensification.
Making the most of existing farmland is es-
sential to meet the world’s food security
needs and to protect forests from being de-
stroyed, burned and converted to agricul-
tural land.
Crop yield intensification has proven to lead
to measurable carbon dioxide reductions.
However, intensification must be driven by
sustainability objectives: To that end, the
industry engages in multiple partnerships
to disseminate knowledge of responsible,
balanced and site-specific fertiliser use.
Intensification does not automatically stand
for an increase of fertilisers, but for well-
targeted use, illustrated by protocols like
‘microdosing’ (the equivalent of a full
bottle cap per seed hole) or the broad de-
velopment and marketing of ‘specialty ferti-
lisers’, such as slow- and controlled-release
fertilisers.
The ultimate aim of correct fertilisation is
to increase fertiliser uptake by the plant
while reducing losses to the environment.
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29
July 2016
FOCUS
Fertiliser Special
INTERNATIONAL FERTILISER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (IFA)
Stanford study
A 2010 research study has estimated that about one billion of hec-
tares of land had been preserved from conversion to cropping be-
tween 1961 and 2005 because of advances in crop productivity,
leading to carbon emission savings of 317 to 590 Gt CO2-eq from not
converting that area (Burney et al., 2010). The authors conclude that
‘although GHG emissions from the production and use of fertilisers
have increased with agricultural intensification, those emissions are
far outstripped by the emissions that would have been generated in
converting additional forest and grassland to farmland.’
ICCA
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) squarely
puts fertilisers into the category of (chemical) products whose use
can lead to emission reductions in excess of the volume of GHG emit-
ted during their production.
Graph 1: Global energy efficiency benchmark.
Source: IFA, 2012