Stakeholders Dialogue on Enhancing Fertilizer Use Efficiency for Sustainable Soil Health
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Date
2024
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Abstract
Fertilizers play a key role in sustainable agriculture since they give plants the nutrients they need for growth and better yields. Due to the need to ensure food security globally, there is an increased demand for fertilizers. In 2023, India had the largest population of 1432 million, which necessitated a rise in the production of food grains, thus the use of fertilizers and their high demand. Fertilizer use, technology adoption, and investments in irrigation have made India's agricultural economy self-sufficient and exportable. To ensure more productivity and better yields, the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in partnership with the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), arranged a dialogue on enhancing fertilizer use efficiency for sustainable soil health. 100 stakeholders, including development officials, policymakers, researchers, representatives from the private sector, and farmers, were involved. The objective of the dialogue was to understand the interdependence between energy, fertilizers, soil, and environmental health for developing innovative pathways to achieve food and nutritional security, suggest innovative options for enhancing holistic nutrient use efficiency through novel products, management practices, and the science of scaling, and recommend the Way Forward for promoting science-led incentive-based policies and strategies for improving nutrient use efficiency and restoring soil health.