The Economics of Fertilisers

Fertiliser is not just about the application of chemicals onto land. The impact of the fertiliser is felt in many places along the economic chain. Most synthetic fertilisers, herbicides, and insecticides are derived from petro-chemicals and is transported long distances to reach its final destination. There is as much fertiliser sailing across the seas as there is oil. The following article from the Earth Policy Institute goes into this subject in more depth.

This raises issues of dependency on fossil fuels not just in the manufacture of fertiliser but in its transportation. Most of the cost of agrichemicals comes from transportation from source to the farm gate. Growing fossil fuel use is implicated in the problem of climate change, soil and water degradation, and rising costs for fertiliser itself. This situation is likely to deteriorate further in the coming decades, as resources become more scarce. At the same time we are not making the most of our unused resources or waste streams generated by our primary industries.

Stonebread links the issues of fossil fuel use, climate change and waste to the issue of developing better earth for our people, animals and ecosystem. The public is now waking up to the harsh realisation of the damage caused to its land, rivers and nature in general by intensive farming. The external costs generated by over use of fertiliser and a grow quick mentality are now being called for payment.

It is time to rethink the way in which we fertilise our land and Stonebread is part of that debate.

Read our presentation to the 2005 Zero  Waste Conference in Kaikoura Value of Unused Resources