Earth Equity News

Soaring Fertilizer Prices Threaten World's Poorest Farmers. By John Vidal, London Guardian, August 12, 2008. "A global fertiliser crisis caused by high oil prices and the U.S. rush to biofuel crops is reducing the harvests of the world's poorest farmers... Soaring food and commodity prices [are not lifting] millions of developing country farmers out of poverty [or causing] more food [to be] grown… because small farmers either consume their own crop or have no access to global markets to take advantage of the higher food prices… A world fertiliser forecast report… states that prices will remain high for at least three years and possibly longer. Fertiliser prices have mostly doubled and in some cases risen by 500% in 15 months as U.S. farmers have rushed to plant more biofuel crops and countries such as India and China have bought fertiliser stocks in large quantities to guarantee their food stocks. But while the unprecedented price explosion has barely affected large commercial farmers, it is leading directly to civil unrest among small farmers in developing countries [who desperately need fertilisers to replenish nutrient-depleted soils]. There have been fertiliser riots or demonstrations in Vietnam, India, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan and Taiwan in the last few months. Last week one man was killed in a stampede at a government handout of fertiliser in Hyderabad, India."