Navigating Fertilizer Challenges

About The Event

Global fertilizer systems are under strain. Recent geopolitical shocks and supply disruptions have exposed deep vulnerabilities in how fertilizers are produced, traded, and accessed—putting food security and farmer livelihoods at risk, particularly in the world’s most vulnerable regions.

For millions of smallholder farmers, especially across sub-Saharan Africa, reduced access to fertilizers could mean declining yields, rising costs, and widening inequality. But this moment of disruption also presents a critical opportunity: to rethink how public resources are used to shape the future of food systems.

Governments collectively spend more than $700 billion annually supporting agriculture. Yet much of this investment remains misaligned with climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and long-term productivity. With less than 5% directed toward public goods, current systems often reinforce inefficiencies and environmental harm.

This event explores how today’s crisis can become a turning point—shifting public support toward solutions that work for people, climate, and nature. From innovations like green ammonia and biofertilizers to agroecological approaches and soil health restoration, there is growing momentum for more resilient and sustainable pathways.

Held alongside the World Bank Spring Meetings, this invite-only session will convene policymakers, development partners, researchers, and civil society leaders to exchange practical insights and emerging experiences in reforming and repurposing agricultural subsidies—while ensuring that farmers and rural communities are at the center of these transitions.

For further information, contact alison@clim-eat.org