Washington: The Global Fertilizer Challenge raised US $135 million for fertiliser efficiency and soil health measures to combat food insecurity, the United States Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Richard Duke and high-level partners from the United States, European Commission, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands announced here today.
This announcement exceeds the United States President, Joe Biden’s Global Fertilizer Challenge goal, set at the June 17 Major Economies Forum, to raise $100 million dollars by COP27 to help low- and middle-income countries address the global fertiliser shortages caused, in part, by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The US $109 million in new public funding – including US $25 million from the United States – will be used to expand fertiliser and soil health programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and in key middle-income countries outside the continent, the US Department of State informed.
In addition to the $109 million in public funds, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is leveraging US $4.5 million from the private sector to match a U.S. government grant to support the Efficient Fertilizer Consortium and a group of philanthropic funders and investors have committed US $21.5 million in aligned funding which will more broadly address fertiliser’s role in the climate, food security, and energy crises, Washington stated.
The Deputy Special Envoy Duke was joined at the launch event by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, European Union Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, Norwegian Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, German State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth, Dutch Ambassador Marcel Beukeboom, African Union Commissioner Josefa Sacko, Colombia Vice Minister Villegas, and International Fertilizer Association CEO Alzbeta Klein.
These coordinated investments are an important step for greater donor alignment and integration with the African Union-led Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan set to be endorsed at the June 2023 African Union Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, the US Department of State said.
– global bihari bureau
