On sustainable agriculture

"If for some reason fertilizer use were discontinued, the world food output would probably plummet some 40% or more" (Worldwatch Institute, 1990)

A sustainable agriculture combines the achievement of quality food at affordable prices to meet the demands of a growing population, with minimum adverse impact on our environment.

Yara is proud to have been a founder of the mineral fertilizer industry, and today as the world's leading producer and supplier of mineral fertilizers we have a key role to play in a global, sustainable agriculture.

There are three central aspects to sustainability - social, economic and ecological.

Feeding the world

The human aspect, agriculture's role in appeasing hunger, is the social dimension of sustainability. From 1950-2000 the world population rose from 2 billion to 6.2 billion, and at this rate is expected to reach 9.2 billion by 2030.

When harvested, crops remove soil nutrients which need to be replaced. As yields have increased, nutrients from soil reserves and organic manures are not sufficient, and mineral fertilizers are needed to provide the required input.

Yield increase has kept pace with the growing world population thanks to increased use of mineral fertilizers combined with other developments - including plant breeding, plant protection products, cultivation techniques and use of irrigation - and this must continue if hunger is to be avoided.

Competitive production

The business aspect, maintaining productive and affordable agriculture, is the economic dimension of sustainability.

The loss of soil fertility leads to soil mining of nutrients, with steadily diminishing yields and, ultimately, deficiency symptoms and crop failure. Without the use of fertilizers to supply and replace essential plant nutrients, agricultural productivity faces this inevitable crisis, also in economic terms. The expanding global population needs not only adequate and affordable food, but also sustainable food production.

Yara supplies a range of fertilizer products and the knowledge needed to achieve optimal plant nutrient application. With the correct balance of nutrients, crops are high yielding and high quality, and economic agricultural production is assured.

Protecting the environment

Preserving the planet's limited and endangered resources is a vital concern, and is the ecological dimension of sustainability.

Currently about 10 percent of the Earth's land is cultivated, and according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), only minimal expansion is possible. We must conserve forests and other natural ecosystems, to do this we need to grow more from crops where we grow them today.

Judicious and greater use of mineral fertilizers will help increase crop yields sustainably, and use existing agricultural land most effectively. Optimum fertilizer application leads to optimum yields. This in turn produces high amounts of crop residues that contribute organic matter in the soil, which is valuable to sustainable farming systems.

Yara also recognises and responds to the demand for responsible and informed fertilizer advice. Application at optimum rates and timings reduces the risk of nutrient losses and avoids potentially environmentally damaging or economically wasteful farm practices.