MULTILATERAL development banks (MDBs) are seeking a more coordinated response to vulnerabilities in global fertilizer supply chains, with financing, infrastructure, and more efficient fertilizer use identified as key areas to strengthen food security.
The African Development Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank Group, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Bank Group said they are ready to work with G20 members, development partners, and the private sector to develop a common roadmap for strengthening fertilizer supply chains.
The proposed roadmap would align the lenders’ financing, research, policy work, and technical assistance around a shared agenda for strengthening fertilizer value chains, including economic corridors that can better withstand future supply shocks.
‘We, the MDB, recognize that food security remains one of the world’s most pressing development challenges. Repeated shocks have exposed structural vulnerabilities in global fertilizer supply chains, disproportionately affecting smallholder farmers and low-income households,’ they said in a joint statement.
The agenda includes increasing financing for fertilizer production and related infrastructure, such as processing and blending facilities, storage and transportation, and other critical infrastructure.
It also calls for stronger fertilizer market monitoring and measures to ensure farmers have timely access to supplies.
The MDBs, however, said securing fertilizer supplies alone would not be enough to improve food security over the long term.
‘Strengthening long-term food security requires improving fertilizer-use efficiency, diversifying nutrient sources, restoring healthy soils and natural capital, and investing in resilient food systems,’ they said.
To improve fertilizer-use efficiency, the proposed agenda includes support for soil diagnostics, fertilizer recommendations, precision nutrient management, digital agriculture, farmer advisory services, and research and innovation.
It also covers broader food-system measures, including better soil and water management, nature-based solutions, resilient value chains, new technologies, and private-sector investment.
The institutions also aim to work more closely with governments, international organizations, research institutions, civil society, and the private sector by sharing data and knowledge, supporting evidence-based policymaking, and coordinating assistance on the ground.