Norman Borlaug Centennial Q&A's with Experts:
If Norman Borlaug posed the following questions to you... what would you tell him?
"We should not just be focusing on feeding the 9 billion,
but also on nourishing them."
Esin Mete, President, International Fertilizer Industry Association
Turkey
Q: What’s the one thing – the single most important – that we need to address to solve food insecurity?
A: I believe that there is no single solution to food insecurity. Having said that, fertilizers play an absolutely crucial role, and are estimated to contribute up to 40-50% of the current global food supply. Yet there are still some significant areas in the world where farmers are not using any or insufficient amounts of fertilizers, i.e. Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and we must all be focused on closing those still significant yield gaps. We know that by increasing fertilizer use up to the Abuja Declaration level of 50 kg/hectare, yields in Sub-Saharan Africa could double or even triple. Moreover, fertilizers allow subsistence farmers to produce surplus that can lead to increased income. As we know food security is both a question of sufficient production of food but also of increased incomes and poverty alleviation.
In other parts of the world, farmers may also not be using fertilizers in an optimal fashion, leading to sub optimal yields, economic losses and potential negative environmental impacts. In order to address this issue, the industry has developed nutrient stewardship frameworks. Nutrient stewardship is both crop and site specific and greater efforts are required to equip farmers around the world with more knowledge, so that they can better assess knowing which type of fertilizer to apply, at what time, rate and place.
Q: Do you think we can feed 9 billion people by the year 2050? If so, why? If not, why not?
A: By working together with strategic partners, scientists, businesses, policy-makers, farmers and other stakeholders, we can devise optimal solutions. Through sustainable intensification (producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts) for example, we can increase food supply. Through empowering women farmers and securing their access to inputs we can further close the yield gap. However, we will not be able to feed the 9 billion by 2050 unless the MDGs and the SDGs translate into national policies that give more importance to agriculture. Farmers need infrastructure, access to inputs such as fertilizer, credit, crop insurance and training to increase their production on existing arable land.
However, we should not just be focusing on feeding the 9 billion, but also on nourishing them. Nutrition security and food security go hand in hand. Therefore populations require access to healthy and nutritious foods that provides all the essential nutrients and micronutrients for a healthy life. Presently there is a lack of knowledge about alternative ways to increase the bioavailability of micronutrients in food. One such method is micronutrient fertilization. This process has proven to be very efficient for zinc, iodine and selenium. By supplementing traditional NPK blends with micronutrients, we can feed the soil that feeds the crops which feed us.
Q: Where are the biggest gaps right now in the food system?
A: In my opinion the most worrisome gap in the food system is the yield gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. With fertilizer application rates averaging below 10 kg/hectare, cereal yields on the continent are 10 times less than in the United States. The global fertilizer industry recognizes this multi-faceted problem and is currently running several initiatives to stimulate access to fertilizer and to extension in Sub-Saharan Africa.
One such program is the African Fertilizer Volunteer Program (AFVP) by which global fertilizer industry experts in plant design, manufacturing, distribution, and extension volunteer their time and knowledge towards building the African fertilizer value chain. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase fertilizer users and usage in the continent. The program is run jointly by the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) and the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).
In addition, IFA launched in partnership with the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) a four-year research project to scale up 4R Nutrient Stewardship and Integrated Soil Fertility Management knowledge to support crop production intensification in Ethiopia. The project aims to support government-led initiatives to increase sustainably fertilizer use and develop crop- and site-specific fertilizer blends.
IFA is also running a communications campaign promoting Smallholders' Access to Fertilizer in Africa by calling on African leaders to adopt and implement in partnership with the private sector, NGOs and research institutes 6 inter-linked measures that can positively impact smallholder productivity:
- Provide access to credit, finance and insurance by retailers and farmers.
- Facilitate imports and the distribution of diverse fertilizer products.
- Invest in infrastructure: transport, handling, storage, and blending facilities.
- Develop mobile technologies to provide information on markets, extension services and prices.
- Train extension workers to help farmers organize themselves.
- Disseminate best practices based on the integration of organic and mineral nutrients and balanced fertilization.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to young people?
A: I encourage young people to be bold and think outside the box. In both developing and developed countries, a career in the agricultural sector can be very rewarding. So I encourage young men and women to consider becoming active participants along the food supply chain. People will always require food for sustenance so farming, agronomy, soil science are professions that will never become obsolete. In addition, I advise the younger generation to make the best of our global resources and use them wisely.
Q: What’s one thing the general population could do to make an impact on global food security?
A: No contribution is too small to the food and nutrition security debate. The general population can and should inform themselves. In doing so, they raise the bar for politicians and decision-makers who are accountable to them. An informed decision-maker is more likely to devise and implement policies that are mindful of the immediate needs of the population. Misinformation campaigns against agribusiness or input industries can be especially damaging in emerging countries, which need a new Green Revolution to kick start their economies.