Sustainability

Sustainability Goals

Recently, the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) attended the Rio+20 Conference on sustainable development. The main outcomes of the Conference was the agreement by United Nations member states to launch a process to develop a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and converge with the post-2015 development agenda.

Agriculture and food security have been recognized as priority topics in the fertilizer industry. The following attached document highlights some of the fertilizer industry's key contributions to both the post-2015 development agenda and sustainable development goals across the globe.

Click here to view the Post-2015 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals from the position of the fertilizer industry. For a condensed version, click here.

View the Zero Hunger Challenge, which outlines the fertilizer industry's approach to sustainable food systems set out by researchers at International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).

4R Nutrient Stewardship

An innovative approach to best management practices (BMPs) for fertilizer is the Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place® concept. It is also known as 4R Nutrient Stewardship. It can be applied to managing either crop nutrients in general (including organic sources) or fertilizers in specific. This concept can help farmers and the public understand how the right management practices for fertilizer contribute to sustainability goals for agriculture.

In a nutshell, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship concept involves producers and their crop advisers selecting the right source-rate-time-place combination from practices validated by research conducted by agronomic scientists. Goals for economic, environmental and social progress are set by-and are reflected in performance indicators chosen by-the stakeholders to crop production systems.

CFI and The Fertilizer Institute have developed five peer-reviewed articles to provide farmers with more information about 4R Nutrient Stewardship which were published in the agronomy journal Soils and Crops.

For more information on the 4Rs, here are some documents to help keep you informed:

For more on how to implement the 4Rs on your farm, see here!
Check out our Farming 4R Future info graphic here!
See here for the Advocate Card of Dan Heaney, one of our 4R Advocates!
See here for the Advocate Card of Josie Van Lent-Staden, one of our 4R Advocates!

To keep up-to-date on the 4Rs visit www.farming4rfuture.ca

4R Nutrient Stewardship - Bon produit@bonne dose, bon moment, bon endroit
Le concept Bon produit@bonne dose, bon moment, bon endroit constitue une méthode novatrice d'appliquer les pratiques exemplaires de gestion des engrais, appelé aussi « 4R Nutrient Stewardship ». Ce concept s'applique tant à la gestion des éléments nutritifs dans les cultures en général (y compris les produits biologiques) que des engrais en particulier. Il peut aider les fermiers et la population à comprendre en quoi les bonnes pratiques de gestion des engrais contribuent aux objectifs de durabilité de l'agriculture.

En un mot, le concept du Bon produit@bonne dose, bon moment, bon endroit signifie que les producteurs de cultures et leurs conseillers choisissent la meilleure combinaison du produit, de la dose, du moment et de l'endroit sur la base des pratiques validées par les recherches menées par des agronomes. Les intervenants des systèmes de production de cultures établissent les objectifs de progrès économique, environnemental et social et choisissent les indicateurs de rendement qui rendront compte de ces progrès.

L'ICE et The Fertilizer Institute, situé a Washington D.C., ont rédigé cinq articles, évalués par les pairs et publiés dans la revue d'agronomie Soils and Crops, pour donner plus d'informations aux fermiers à propos du système Bon produit@bonne dose, bon moment, bon endroit. 4R Nutrient Stewardship - Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place®

Environment

Member companies of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) have made significant investments over the years to improve manufacturing energy efficiency and to reduce emissions. These efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions are recognized by the federal and applicable provincial governments.

Les sociétés membres de l'Institut canadien des engrais ont fait des investissements importants au fil des ans pour améliorer l'efficacité énergétique et la réduction des émissions de leurs usines de fabrication. L'Institut veille diligemment à ce que les efforts volontaires de l'industrie pour améliorer l'efficacité énergétique et la réduction des émissions soient reconnus par le gouvernement fédéral et les gouvernements provinciaux concernés.

To learn more about Environment Issues Briefs, click here!

Nutrients for Life Foundation

In 2008, Canadian Fertilizer Institute founded Nutrients for Life Foundation Canada. Today, it is a registered Canadian charitable organization made up of educators, community groups, scientists and representatives from the agricultural sector, including farmers, agri-retailers and members of the fertilizer industry. NFL produces and distributes educational materials on soil science and agricultural sustainability. Its goal is to help Canadians better understand how nutrients increase the health and quality of our soil, improve production of nutritious foods and preserve green spaces.

With the world population rapidly increasing to an estimated 9 billion people by 2050, food security is a growing issue. Nutrients for Life hopes to address this issue through its educational resources and programs, while working with educators across Canada to ensure that our resources meet the needs of teachers and students.

Supporting Canada's school-curriculum needs, NFL creates science-based content of the highest quality. Additionally, to validate its pedagogical value, all educational materials were reviewed by the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest research organization and museum complex.

For more information visit: www.nutrientsforlife.ca