In a given nation, like Ethiopia, in particular and across the globe in general where a number of people are in acute food insecurity, they have so little access to food that their lives and livelihoods are in danger, intensifying a multitude of means for a better production and productivity has to come to the forefront.
Of the myriads of mechanisms by which food insecurity can be definitely addressed, but not limited to, is widely working on the agriculture sector. This cardinal sector does need a range of inputs to provide the operators with ample yield and better productivity, i.e. fertilizer.
Cognizant of this fact, The Ethiopian Herald approached Dawit Nemomsa, an agriculturalist graduated from Haramaya University in agro-economics to have a professional standpoint and convincing proficient expertise regarding the use of fertilizers, their pre-harvest and post harvest significance.
He said, “Fertilizers can be a key part of the solution. Within a single cropping season farm productivity can be doubled or tripled by fertilizers, which could allow subsistence farmers to produce a surplus that they can sell to buy additional food for their families, send their children to school and pay for health care.”
He further stated that, one key blockage to food production in many developing countries like Ethiopia is access to fertilizers, which enrich the soil with the nutrients needed for healthy crops. Sufficient primary raw materials – nitrogen, potash, phosphate, and natural gas – and fertilizer production facilities are essential to farmers, indeed!, but high fertilizer prices are blocking the proper crop cycle. Besides, these days fertilizer prices are out of reach for most farmers, putting the crop cycle and rural stability at risk.
Sadly, Russia, an important fertilizer supplier for Africa including our country has been disrupted by the war, while some other exporting countries have restricted the supply through export taxes, bans and licensing requirements, in part to protect their own farmers. With agricultural prices high, farmers in more advanced countries can afford to plant more and order more fertilizer, benefiting from subsidies that often cover the cost of the natural gas needed for fertilizer and the diesel fuel needed for farm equipment.
If current trends continue – high prices for natural gas and coal, commodity crops and fertilizer and elevated consumption of the available supplies by those with higher incomes and subsidies than Africa’s – the more-industrialized economies will increase their market share and dominate even more of the world’s total crop production and agricultural fossil fuel use. This will leave little room for farming in Sub-Saharan countries, especially poorer households, resulting in a long and deep food and jobs crisis, especially in rural Africa.
The world’s ability to quickly realign energy and fertilizer supply chains in ways that leave room for poorer farmers will be one of the determining factors in the length and severity of the food crisis in Africa and the displacement of rural populations already under pressure from climate change. This entails substantial change in both advanced economies and developing countries.
Fertilizer is not a large cost factor given other inputs such as labor and equipment, so the amount being applied is less scrutinized. Farming practices are hard to change.
“The world’s ability to quickly realign energy and fertilizer supply chains in ways that leave room for poorer farmers will be one of the determining factors in the length and severity of the food crisis in Africa and the displacement of rural populations already under pressure from climate change.”
Africa must help in this realignment by improving its internal trade and logistics barriers. Approximately 90% of fertilizer consumed in Sub-Saharan Africa is imported, mostly from outside the continent. This reflects inefficiencies in shipping and port costs, distribution chains, information availability and other trade frictions. Each factor needs a concerted effort by African nations to fix the system. Better trade infrastructure and trade facilitation measures such as harmonized rules have an important role. When technically and economically feasible, local production can complement trade by reducing transport and logistics costs.
There is also a need to invest in green fertilizer production and efficient use. The technology to produce ammonia needed to manufacture nitrogen fertilizer with renewable energy has not yet been widely adopted.
Importantly, we must also take advantage of existing opportunities to use public spending to build longer-term food systems resilience. Fertilizer subsidies in both developed and developing countries can be repurposed towards measures that reduce overuse, decreasing the sector’s carbon footprint while increasing fertilizer availability. In sum, it’s urgent to make fertilizers more accessible and affordable to avoid prolonging the food crisis. Lives and livelihoods depend on the choices of policymakers.
One key obstacle to food production in many developing countries is access to fertilizers, which enrich the soil with the nutrients needed for healthy crops. Sufficient primary raw materials – nitrogen, potash, phosphate, and natural gas – and fertilizer production facilities are essential to farmers.
The world’s ability to quickly realign energy and fertilizer supply chains in ways that leave room for poorer farmers will be one of the determining factors in the length and severity of the food crisis in Africa and the displacement of rural populations already under pressure from climate change. This entails substantial change in both advanced economies and developing countries.
“The world’s ability to quickly realign energy and fertilizer supply chains in ways that leave room for poorer farmers will be one of the determining factors in the length and severity of the food crisis in Africa and the displacement of rural populations already under pressure from climate change.”
Importantly, we must also take advantage of existing opportunities to use public spending to build longer-term food systems resilience. Fertilizer subsidies in both developed and developing countries can be repurposed towards measures that reduce overuse, decreasing the sector’s carbon footprint while increasing fertilizer availability.
Marketing constraints: these are constraints related to market development and infrastructural constraints. The former include uncertain policy environment; inadequate human capital; limited access to finance; lack of market information; weak and ineffective regulatory frameworks/ systems; limited access to finance; size of commodity markets; and high fertilizer retail prices. Infrastructural constraints include inadequate road and railway networks; high transport and handling cost from the port; inadequate port facilities; and poor input dealer network.
For fertilizer demand finance, the sources are private foundations/non-governmental organizations, governments/public institutions and microfinance institutions. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that some arrangements of public-private partnership would be required, given the fertilizer market risk on both the supply and demand sides. The fertilizer manufacturing and processing plants and the fertilizer projects in the clusters involve the private sector from Africa and abroad in collaboration with state–owned companies.
Good fertilizer policies can raise agricultural productivity and farm income by creating a system that supplies high-quality fertilizers to farmers at affordable prices, along with information on how to use them effectively. Liberalization and privatization in most countries have transformed fertilizer markets in Africa. One-third of African countries have a formal fertilizer policy.
Encourage transport policies that increase competition in the trucking industry; Encourage procurement policies that enhance bulk buying of fertilizers if an assessment shows it is effective; Encourage countries to address NTBs both at the regional level such as weighbridges, police road blocks/checks, cross-border procedures, etc.; Supporting some form of guaranteed output markets, complementary measures such as seeds, extension, and research to improve fertilizer use efficiency and effectiveness; and Support improvements of rural/feeder roads that reach agricultural production zones.
One of the main reasons for state intervention in agricultural input market in Ethiopia is failure of the input market. The recent revival of interest in subsidizing agricultural inputs to alleviate market failures stems from the concern to increase agricultural productivity, a prerequisite for meeting the needs of an ever-growing population.
Increased yields from fertilizers and other agronomic improvements help Ethiopia improve productivity. By providing precise amounts of nutrients to meet crop needs, fertilizers can ensure consistently high crop yields. Using fertilizers to help African farmers sustainably intensify their productivity on existing farmland can forestall the loss of biodiversity and carbon rich forests, peat lands, wetlands and grasslands.
By ensuring that plants receive all the nutrients they need, fertilizers can help crops thrive in a wide variety of circumstances. Healthy soils and plants can better withstand climate stress (extreme heat, cold and drought), pests and diseases than those with nutrient deficiencies. Fertilizers help increase carbon capture on arable land by increasing the amount of carbon-rich crop residues which are grown and remain in the soil in the form of plant roots and stems. Using on-farm organic sources of nutrients supplemented with mineral fertilizers in Africa could not only improve soil health and productivity but result in greater carbon sequestration which removes CO2 from the atmosphere.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 25 JUNE 2024
