Our growing world population needs an increasing amount of safe, affordable and nutritious food.

World population has doubled (100 percent increase) in 40 years from 1968 (3.55 billion) to 2008 (6.8 billion). It is now estimated that the population of the world will be a little over 8 billion people by 2025. That’s 100,000,000 a year, or 273,972 a day.

What is fertilizer and why do we use it? Fertilizer is responsible for between 40 and 60 percent of our world’s food production. It is a vital ingredient used to grow strong and healthy plants – both in the garden and in the farm field. The connection between fertilizer and population is evident. As Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Norman Borlaug explains, “This is a basic problem, to feed 6.6 billion people. Without chemical fertilizer, forget it. The game is over.”

Nutrients can enhance soil fertility, and minimize losses to the environment when applied at the right time, place and rate using best management practices.