Charlotte Hebebrand COP22 Session - November 13th, Marrakech African Soil Management: Adaptation of African Agriculture – Sustainable and Resilient Soil Management

1. Climate- smart agriculture:
What role for fertilizers?
From Abuja to Marrakesh
Charlotte Hebebrand - Director General
The International Fertilizer Association
« From Science to Action » Break-out session
Sustainable and Resilient Soil Management
13 November 2016, Marrakesh

2. The State of African Soils
• Deteriorating Soil
Fertility
• Nutrient removal >
(all) Nutrient Inputs =
Nutrient Mining
Resulting in Low
Yields, Poverty and
Environmental
Degradation Source: IPNI,
2016
• 75% of the arable land in SSA is
degraded (IPNI, 2016)

3. 2006:The Abuja Fertilizer
Summit
• 53 African Agriculture Ministers sign the
Abuja Declaration to accelerate the access
of farmers to fertilizers and increase the
average use per hectare from 8kg/ha to
50 kg/ha by 2015
“To feed our people, we must first feed the soil. This is the hour
for Africa, let’s take this bold step together and expand food
security and incomes across Africa ” H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo,
former
President of Nigeria, 2006, Abuja.
Source: IPNI, 2016

4. 2015: The Paris Agreement &
INDCs
• Inclusion of food security in Paris Agreement text
• Countries submit INDCs ahead of COP21 & signing of
the Paris agreement: all African countries place
strong focus on adaptation and agriculture
 In several African INDCs, fertilizers feature
prominently with regard to climate change mitigation.
Are environmental ministries coordinating with
agricultural ministries?
“Agriculture: Gradual
replacement of 100%
of mineral fertilizers
with organic fertilizers
by 2030”
“Reduce the use of
nitrogen in
agriculture by 2030”
“Programme objectives
(…) reduced GHG
emissions due to
reduced fertilizer use
and less turning of the
soil”

5. 2016: COP 22 and the AAA
initiative
• Morocco places food security at the
heart of the COP22 – objective is to
transform African agriculture
• Strong Focus on Climate-Smart
Agricultural Practices to:
– Sustainably increase productivity;
– Enhance resilience & reduce GHGs where
possible;
– Enhance achievement of global food
security

6. CSA: Global Food Security
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY DEPENDS ON
FERTILIZERS
• Fertilizers contribute to 50% of today’s food
production, & demand will increase over time
• Goals of eliminating hunger and poverty must
be the priority for Africa
• SSA needs to triple grain production by 2050
• Average fertilizer use today around16 kg/ha
Evolution of SSA’s
average fertilizer
application rate (kg
nutrients/ha)- Source:IFA

7. CSA: Adaptation
FERTILIZERS ARE CRUCIAL FOR ADAPTATION
• Proper Plant Nutrition builds resilience in
crops
– Micronutrients (Zn, Ca) help plants with
water stress
– Phosphoric fertilizers help plants grow
strong roots.
• Correct Fertilizer Use Enhances Water
Use Efficiency (and vice versa);
• Most adaptation options build on
existing Best Management Practices
rather than on access to new
technologies.

8. CSA: Reduce GHGs Where
Possible
N2O EMISSIONS FROM FERTILIZER APPLICATION ARE NOT
THE PRIMARY PROBLEM IN AFRICA TODAY
In much of SSA, substantial increases in N
inputs would greatly increase crop yields with
little immediate risk of significant N2O
emissions
• Fertilizer demand (2014) of 3.4 m nutrient
tons = 1.9% of global demand (IFA)
• BUT few would suggest continent-wide
recommendation of 100kg/ha
• Could SSA leapfrog the
usual Nutrient Use Efficiency?

9. Fertilizer Best Management
Practices
• Site- Specific Nutrient Management (SSNM) =
efficient way to reduce GHGs from fertilizer
application and ensure farmer profitability
• Importance of Integrated Soil Fertility
Management: to integrate organic and
mineral nutrient sources
• Flexible approaches can help farmers more
than blanket fertilizer recommendations!
• The 4Rs: Applying the right nutrient source;
at the right rate, at the right time and in the
right place.
• Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers

10. Another Look at Reducing GHGs
• Higher yields on arable land can
protect forests (deforestation = 10-
11% global GHG emissions) –
Importance of Life Cycle Analysis
• Soils can store up to 50- 300 tonnes
of carbon/ha, or 180-1100 tonnes of
CO2.
• 89% agriculture’s mitigation potential
based on soil carbon sequestration
(IPCC)
• Fertilizers help create biomass that
helps create Soil Organic Matter-
which improves soil health &

11. From INDCs to NDCs
• Maintain focus on higher crop yields – no
immediate risk of high GHG emissions
from increased fertilizer use
• Seek to combine higher yields with
optimal Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) to
avoid N losses
• Opportunity to leap-frog over usual
evolution of agricultural management
(higher yields, declining NUE) with
improved practices & supportive
policies = high yields + optimal NUE

12. Policy options for Africa
• Build capacity in adaptive nutrient
management: support of local practices
and 4Rs
• Support balanced nutrient inputs: ISFM,
macronutrients (N,P,K,S) and
micronutrients
• Strengthened & equitable access to
fertilizers
• Emphasis on social equity – women
should be included in decision- making
and have improved access to fertilizers
• Monitor GHG emissions intensity

13. Useful information
CCFAS policy brief: Fertilizers and low
emission development in sub-Saharan
Africa
– Meryl Richards- CGIAR Research Program on Climate
Change, Agriculture and Food Security, Gund Institute,
University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, U.S.A.
– Martin Van Ittersum-Wageningen University
– Tekalign Mamo- ATA Agricultural Transformation
Agency, Ethiopia,
– Clare Stirling- Global Conservation Agriculture
Program, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Centre) ,
– Bernard Vanlauwe- International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA)
– Robert Zougmoré- International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

14. Useful Information
The Nutrient Management
Handbook
• By WFO, GACSA and IFA
• For farmers, practitioners,
Policy-makers… anyone
interested in nutrient
management!
• User-friendly guidebook:
straightforward explanation of
FBMPs, soil health, sustainability!
• Available for download on IFA’s
website:

15. Thank you!
Find out more about IFA by visiting our
website: www.fertilizer.org Or by writing to
us: ifa@fertilizer.org
We are also on social media:
@FertilizerNews
International Fertilizer Association
International Fertilizer Association
IFAfertilizers