Garth Whyte
President & CEO, Fertilizer Canada
The world’s food production needs are growing substantially year over year. Fertilizer is part of the solution.
To grow, thrive, and stay healthy, plants need a balanced diet of nutrients from the soil. This life-giving food comes in the form of fertilizer. “Fertilizer is an essential part of the global food system. The Canadian industry plays a critical role in fertilizer production, use, and export,” says Garth Whyte, President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada, an association that represents manufacturers and wholesale and retail distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and sulphur fertilizers. With the world’s largest potash reserves and a vast export market, Canada plays a key role in feeding the world.
Leading the industry with the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program
To feed the world’s ever-growing population, food production will have to increase by 70 percent by 2050. “The only way to do this is by applying fertilizer in a sustainable way,” says Whyte. Fertilizer Canada’s 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program is a sustainable growing practice that applies fertilizer according to specific and unique requirements. “It’s about putting the right source at the right rate at the right time at the right place,” says Whyte. Each application is customized to the plant, soil, and climate so the fertilizer gets into the plant and not into the air, ground, or waterways.
“The beauty of this is not only that you help the environment, but that you increase the profitability of the farmer,” says Whyte. “International longitudinal studies conducted over a decade have shown a direct correlation between 4R Nutrient Stewardship and increased profitability.”
Understated yet essential, the Canadian fertilizer industry supports 76,000 jobs and helps sustain food supply chains around the world. It was even ready to meet farmer needs during the spring seeding season despite the challenges presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry has proven its adaptability in challenging situations to meet not only the needs of customers, but any worker along the supply chain.
As the Canadian economy begins to bounce back from this challenging period, farmers and producers are playing a leading role in the country’s economic recovery. The future of food depends on sustainable fertilizer, and Fertilizer Canada is leading the way.
