The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium was first launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2022 as part of the Global Fertilizer Challenge, an effort to increase global attention to the importance of fertilizer use efficiency. In 2022, the Global Fertilizer Challenge raised $135 million in new funding for fertilizer efficiency efforts, surpassing the goal set by President Biden to raise over $100 million. As part of this effort, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of State provided FFAR with $4.45 million to establish the Efficient Fertilizer Consortium.
The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium seeks to fund applied research that will enhance knowledge and lead to wider adoption of enhanced efficiency plant nutrition products. The Consortium will issue its first call for research proposals in late 2024 or early 2025.
In addition to the $4.45 million that was allocated to FFAR to start the Consortium, an additional $4 million total has been committed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Azotic Technologies, Cotton Incorporated, ICL Group, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, OCP Group, Pivot Bio and the United Soybean Board for a total $8.45 million investment in applied and impactful research. Additional organizations have committed to join the Consortium and will be announced soon. FFAR is accepting applications for new Efficient Fertilizer Consortium members through September 15, 2024. An overview of the Consortium’s activities and details on how new members can apply can be found on the Efficient Fertilizer Consortium webpage.
*Note: All currencies listed in this press release are in USD.