Page 55 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 18

Innovate Afrika

Graphic 1.
Consumption increasing global demand for food,
but the narrow focus on a small
of synthetic number of crops and on variet-
nitrogen fertilis- ies dependent on chemical inputs
er from 1961 caused numerous environmental and
up to 2018, social problems. It also distracted
in tonnes of from other approaches that could
nitrogen have increased food production
without generating the massive
consumption of chemical fertilizers.
And it has left the world vulnerable
to food price spikes and shortages
triggered or exacerbated by rising
prices for chemical fertilizers and
of fossil fuels during manufacture. their inputs, as we are now seeing
Added up, a full accounting of Since the 1960s, there has been a with the energy crisis hitting many
emissions from synthetic N fertilizer concerted effort on the part of the countries. Today, these agro-chem-
shows how it is a major source of multilateral development banks such icals are controlled by a small
climate pollution that needs to be as the World Bank, governments, number of global corporations that
rapidly and drastically reduced. donors and agribusiness corpora- wield enormous political clout, such
tions to support the widespread as the Norwegian nitrogen fertilizer
Synthetic N fertilizers have in- adoption of a so-called “green rev- giant Yara.
creased by a whopping 800% since olution” model of agriculture. This
the 1960s according to the IPCC[4], model is based on the development The fertilizer lobby has spent several
and the new research confirms that and adoption of varieties of certain decades maintaining that the exces-
climate pollution from their pro- staple crops (mainly wheat, rice and sive use of synthetic N fertilizer can
duction and use is on course to get maize) that are short and stocky be resolved through more precise
much worse if actions are not taken (called semi-dwarf) and capable of application-- what they call “preci-
to reverse these trends (Graphic producing high yields when heavily sion agriculture” or “climate-smart
1). Worldwide use of synthetic N dosed with chemical fertilizers and agriculture”.[8] Yet the new research
fertilizers is set to increase by over sprayed with pesticides. on synthetic N fertilizer emissions
50% by 2050, according to the Unit- finds no evidence that programmes
ed Nation’s Food and Agriculture By way of massive government pro- to increase efficiency have had any
Organization. grammes and subsidies, the green significant impact. In most world
revolution varieties quickly replaced
The research also finds that emis- local varieties and generated a huge
sions from synthetic N fertilizers boom in the global use of chemical
are highly concentrated in certain fertilizers. They also kicked in a vi-
geographic areas. The main emitters cious cycle, in which more and more
are China, India, North America chemical fertilizers had to be applied
and Europe. But, on a per capita to sustain yields. Today, only around
basis, the highest emitters are the 20-30% of the synthetic N fertiliz-
big agricultural export countries of ers applied to fields are converted
North America (US and Canada), to foods, with the rest running off
South America (Argentina, Brazil, into water bodies and entering the
Paraguay, Uruguay) Australia/New environment as pollution. Not only
Zealand and Europe (Denmark, is this heating up the planet, but it
France, Ireland, Ukraine). World- is also destroying the ozone layer
wide, emissions keep growing every and causing a global crisis of algae
year, including in Africa, where blooms and oceanic “dead zones”. Graphic 2. Crop production (tonnes) per unit of syn-
thetic N fertiliser applied
fertilizer use is now growing rapidly.
Some say the green revolution
A not-so-green revolution enabled production to meet the

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