Efficient Fertilizer Consortium Seeks Research to Evaluate Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Impact Globally

The Efficient Fertilizer Consortium (EFC), a public-private partnership to fund research that advances enhanced efficiency fertilizer products and practices to optimize crop production and reduce environmental impact, is launching its first request for applications (RFA) that will award up to $1 million USD per project.

The EFC will consider applications for field trials to evaluate the agronomic performance and environmental impact of enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEF) across a range of geographic locations, cropping systems, climates and soil types. Through this RFA, the EFC is seeking research that addresses the impact of stacking EEFs with other field and nutrient management practices on crop yield, crop nutrition, nutrient use efficiency, nutrient carryover and/or nutrient loss.

In collaboration with scientific experts, the EFC has developed the Field Trial Guidelines for Evaluating Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers, which must be followed by all field trials funded by the EFC. The EFC is hosting an informational webinar on November 8 that will cover critical information that applicants should consider when applying for this opportunity. For those not able to attend the webinar, a recording will be made available on the EFC open opportunity webpage, which also features application details as well as the full RFA.

A maximum request of up to $1 million is available per project. Pre-applications are due December 11, 2024.

The EFC welcomes applications from all domestic and international higher education institutions, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and government-affiliated research agencies.

The EFC 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.

In September 2024, FFAR announced the members of the EFC that included Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Azotic Technologies, Cotton Incorporated, FFAR, ICL Group, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, OCP Group, Pivot Bio and the United Soybean Board. Since then, the EFC has welcomed two new members: the Ministries of Israel, which includes the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT). The Ministries of Israel and PACT have committed a combined total of $2 million to the Consortium, bringing the EFC’s committed funds to an aggregate of $10.45 million.

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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR