Mineral Fertilizer Use and the Environment International Fertilizer Industry Association United Nations Environment Programme

Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel
Director
UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics.
Luc M. Maene
Director General
International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).

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6
Mineral Fertilizer Use and the Environment
Note: In this document:
•
Mt = million tonnes
•
Kt = thousand tonnes
•
Mha = million ha
•
Phosphate and potash may be expressed as their elemental forms P and K, or as their oxide
forms, P
2
O
5
and K
2
O. Nitrogen is expressed as N.

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Mineral Fertilizer Use and the Environment
7
1. An introduction to mineral fertilizers
•
improve unfavourable or to maintain good
soil conditions for cropping.
The existence of a close relationship between
fertilizer consumption levels and agricultural
productivity has been established beyond doubt.
Amongst the various agricultural inputs,
fertilizers, perhaps next only to water, contribute
the most to increasing agricultural production.
In this publication, the term “mineral”
fertilizer is used in preference to terms such as
“chemical”, “artificial” or “synthetic” fertilizers.
Apart from nitrogenous fertilizers, they are, in
fact, more or less purified minerals. In the case
of nitrogen, approximately 99% of the total
supply is produced from ammonia, which is
manufactured from the abundant atmospheric
nitrogen reacted with hydrogen.
1.2. Where are fertilizers
used?
The use of fertilizers as a regular farming practice
began in most European countries in the mid to
late nineteenth century but the greatest increase
in consumption in these countries occurred in the
three decades following World War II. Their
increasing use in the developing countries started
in the 1960s.
In 1960, 87% of the world fertilizer
consumption was accounted for by the developed
countries, including the USSR and the countries
of Central Europe. From 1980 to 1990
consumption tended to stabilize in these regions,
apart from the USSR, where it increased until
1988. Population growth had leveled off, almost
everyone was adequately fed, world agricultural
exports had stagnated due to economic problems
in the importing countries and on well managed
farms the economic optimum of the available
varieties had been reached.