The combination of the global shortage in natural gas, higher energy costs due to the war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on major fertilizer-producing countries, has led to a fertilizer crisis that is being felt by farmers across the globe, from Europe to Southeast Asia. The crisis has been heralded as yet another impetus, adding to climate change, to address the carbon footprint of commercial fertilizer production.

Some companies are seizing the opportunity to ramp up production of ‘green fertilizer’, produced using renewable energy. Other companies are developing innovations to decrease the carbon footprint of agricultural inputs, to help support the scaling up of regenerative agriculture.

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In this session, Grow Asia will bring to the table a diversity of perspectives on this crisis, to discuss the following framing questions: 

• How are farmers in Southeast Asia perceiving and understanding the fertilizer crisis?

• Is this crisis an opportunity to harness the impact of digital tools that can play a role in helping small-scale producers to use fertilizers more efficiently?

• More broadly, could this crisis help to build momentum around using digital tools and other innovations to facilitate a smoother transition for small-scale producers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices?

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