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Using Yara’s proven low-carbon footprint fertilizers and best practice application tools, the carbon footprint associated with the use of fertilizers for food production can be decreased by more than 50% while saving land and maintaining yields.
Production, transportation and use of mineral fertilizers contribute directly and indirectly to emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), notably carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). At the same time, fertilizers enhance agricultural productivity and stimulate CO2 uptake by the crop. They increase yield and reduce the necessity to cultivate new land, thus avoiding GHG emissions from land use change. Therefore, sustainable agriculture with the use of mineral fertilizers is part of a solution to climate change. Life-cycle analysis of fertilizers determines GHG emissions and absorptions in fertilizer production, transportation and storage, as well as during application and crop growth, i.e. throughout every stage of the ‘life’ of a fertilizer. This allows a better understanding of what can and shall be done to improve the overall carbon balance. The illustration above explains the life-cycle using ammonium nitrate (AN), the most common source of nitrogen in European agriculture. It can be found in commercial products such as CAN, NPK, NP, NK etc.
Yara shares information on carbon life-cycle of fertilizers to enable farmers and other stakeholders in agriculture to make decisions based on environmental considerations and thus minimize the climate impact of farming.
Are agricultural productivity and sustainability compatible? Yara, with its century long knowledge and experience in production and application of plant nutrients, believes that sustainable agriculture is part of a solution to climate change.
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