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Farming without fertilizer

Sri Lanka banned the import of chemical fertilizers, one-third of the country’s farm production went dormant, the government collapsed, and people went hungry. This was not the only event that caused the government collapse, but it was a contributor.

Dutch farmers are protesting a similar move by the Netherlands government in trying to reduce nitrogen emissions. Farm yields at the current levels are dependent on agrochemicals and fertilizers.

The US is also working towards lower agrochemicals, locally sourced fertilizer, and natural, sustainable efforts. The Ukraine war has damaged efforts because of dependency on Ukrainian grain imports.

Ultimately, to spur a transition to more sustainable cropland and fertilizer usage, we must develop better yields with fewer agrochemicals and fertilizers, which will take time. Incentives to accomplish this will be more effective than mandates. A sudden change before resources are developed will cause chaos in the food chain; people will go hungry, and farmers will lose income.

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