OECD/BIAC Workshop: Green Growth in the Agro-Food Chain: Nutrient use efficiency for crops Koen Van Keer & Joachim Lammel Yara International ASA
relative increase Increase in world population drives demand for food and fertilizer Relative increase from base year (1998) to projection year (2030) 160 150 140 cereal production (+50 %) population (+40 %) fertilizer use (+37%) NUE 130 120 110 100 1995 2010 2030 Year Source: FAO (2003): World Agriculture: towards 2015/2030. An FAO Perspective.
On soils depleted of nutrients, crops cannot grow to their yield potential Billion people 8 6 4 2 0 48% Today People nourished by use of mineral fertilizers without additional mineral fertilizer Source: adopted from Erisman et al. (2008), Nature Geoscience without fertilizer with fertilizer
How to balance agricultural productivity and protection of the environment? Low input Low output Less impact per ha More land required Biodiversity impact? High input with potential impacts on Water Soil Air Climate Classificati on: INTERNAL
Grain yield in trials to facilitate knowledge and technology transfer (Tanzania 2012) Grain yield (t/ha; 86% dm) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Recommendation Farmer practice 2 1 0 Kichiwa Matiganjola SUA Welela Source: Yara trials (2012)
Carbon footprint of maize production (including potential land use change emissions) Carbon footprint (kg CO2eq / t maize grain) 6000 5000 FP = Farmer practice R = Recommendation 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 FP R FP R FP R FP R Kichewa Matiganjola Welela SUA. CO2 emissions from potential land use change to compensate for yield difference between FP and R (tropical scrubland into arable, acc. to IPCC, 2006) Emissions from maize cultivation including production of farming inputs, e.g. fertilizer
Environmental impacts are best studied with a life-cycle analysis, e.g. the carbon footprint of fertilizers N 2 CO 2, N 2 O, CO 2, NOx, NH 3, NO 3, N 2 O, N 2 Biomass Production Logistic Application Uptake Natural gas (feedstock) Fuel Minerals Fuel Fuel -> All greenhouse gas emissions are finally aggregated into CO 2 -equivalents Sunlight CO 2 Land
Nutrient Use Efficiency Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) is the fraction of fertilizer nutrients removed from the field with the crop harvest. NUE = (crop Nutrient removal / Nutrient input) *100 Mineral + Organic Nutrients Soil NEU is a workable indicator to asses and monitor sound fertilizer use.
Example: Global Nitrogen Use Efficiency NUE = total N removal with crops / total mineral N fertilizer application Soil mining Balanced inand outputs Risk of high N losses Source: own calculations based on FAO, IFA
Example Europe: Today EU produces more crops with less nitrogen fertilizer input % (1990 = 100%) 120 110 Crop production 100 90 80 70 60 50 N Fertilizer consumption Result of legislation + development and use of fertilizer management tools 40 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Source: Eurostat
Example Europe: Improvement of NUE goes hand in hand with lower N 2 O emissions from agricultural soils NUE (%) * 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 N2O from agricultural soils (Mio t CO2eq) 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Source: FAO, Fertilizers Europe, Yara Today * NUE Europe = crop N removal has / the mineral highest N input * 100 Nitrogen Use Source: Efficiency United Nations (NUE) Framework of any Convention region on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 2011) N import with feed is not considered in the world.
Yara international is committed to Product Stewardship Good Agricultural Practices What is Product Stewardship? To make sure that fertilizers and their raw materials, additives and intermediate products are processed, manufactured, handled, stored, distributed and used in a safe way with regard to health, environment and safety It covers the entire value chain and is regularly audited
NUE (%) Product choice: Impact of different nitrogen fertilizer products on NUE 100,93 90,85,85,89 80 70 Urea UAN CAN CN Avg. of 15 Yara field trials with winter wheat at a N supply of (160 kg/ha)
Various tools have been developed to support growers using fertilizers more efficiently Fertilizer planners and crop monitoring tools help to fine-tune nutrient requirements for individual crops and fields => these tools help to improve nutrient use efficiency
Example how precision farming technologies can improve NUE More grain yields at a lower N application rate result in an improved NUE 10% 5% 0% + 6% grain yield Farmer practice -5% -10% -15% N application rate - 14% Average yield and N application of 23 trials with winter wheat, 2001-2008)
Summary Sustainable intensification: produce more, on the same land, with less environmental impact. Sound fertilizer use is a key component of sustainable intensification. NUE is an indicator to assess, monitor and stimulate sound fertilizer use. Yara, as a leading fertilizer company, actively develops and supports various initiatives and technologies contributing to sustainable intensification and improved NUE. Author 23/04/2013 Page 16