The importance of fertilizer in modern agriculture

Fertilizer is a cornerstone of modern agriculture and global food security. Today, around half of the food produced in the world is grown using mineral fertilizers.

Fertilizers provide crops with essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), that plants need to grow, develop, and produce high-quality food. When crops do not have enough of these nutrients, yields and quality can suffer.

As the global population grows and demand for food increases, farmers need to produce more from the land already available. Fertilizers help make this possible by improving crop productivity and supporting efficient use of land and other resources.

Why are fertilizers important for food security?

The world's population is expected to approach 10 billion by 2050, increasing pressure on agricultural systems to produce more food. At the same time, the availability of arable land, water, and other resources is limited.

Fertilizers help farmers produce more crops per hectare, reducing the need to expand agricultural land into natural ecosystems. They are particularly important in regions where crop yields remain low and where improved access to crop nutrition, agronomic knowledge, and technology can significantly increase productivity.

For smallholder farmers, access to the right fertilizer and the knowledge to use it effectively can also contribute to higher yields, more reliable harvests, and improved farm incomes.

How do fertilizers support crop growth?

Plants need a range of nutrients to grow. The three primary nutrients supplied through fertilizers are:

Nitrogen (N): Supports plant growth, leaf development, and protein production.
Phosphorus (P): Supports root development, energy transfer, and crop establishment.
Potassium (K): Helps regulate water use and supports plant strength, crop quality, and resilience.

Other nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, and boron, are also important for healthy crop growth. The right combination depends on the crop, soil, climate, and growing conditions.

Providing crops with the nutrients they need, in the right amounts and at the right time, helps farmers achieve better yields and quality while making more efficient use of resources.

Using fertilizer efficiently

Fertilizer is most effective when it is applied responsibly and according to the needs of the crop and soil. The 4R approach - right source, right rate, right time, and right place - helps farmers optimize nutrient use.

Better fertilizer use efficiency can help farmers:

Produce more food from existing farmland
Reduce nutrient losses to the environment
Use resources such as land, water, and energy more efficiently
Improve crop quality and farm profitability
Maintain soil fertility and productivity over time

Responsible fertilizer use is therefore an important part of building productive and resilient agricultural systems.

Yara: supporting farmers with crop nutrition

Yara is a global leader in crop nutrition and ammonia, with a mission to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet.

We provide farmers with high-quality fertilizers, agronomic knowledge, and digital decision-support tools to help them optimize crop nutrition and fertilizer use. Through our products and solutions, Yara supports millions of farmers across more than 140 countries.

Our approach combines fertilizer with agronomic expertise and technology to help farmers make better decisions about what nutrients their crops need, how much to apply, and when and where to apply them.

Lower emission fertilizer

Reducing the carbon footprint of agriculture requires action across the entire food value chain, including fertilizer production.

Yara Climate Choice™ fertilizers are produced using technologies that reduce their product carbon footprint while maintaining the quality and performance farmers expect. Renewable-based fertilizers can reduce the product carbon footprint by up to 90% compared with the same fertilizer produced using natural gas.

By combining efficient crop nutrition with lower-carbon fertilizer production, Yara is working to support a more productive, resilient, and sustainable food system