[FAO] [FSN Forum] DISCUSSION No. 147 • FSN Forum digest No. 1329 Online consultation for developing the Code of Conduct for the Management of Fertilizers until 28 January 2018 [icon]How to participate Send your contribution to [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>or post it on the FSN Forum website www.fao.org/fsnforum<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum> [© FAO] Dear Members, We are happy to provide you with an update on the Online consultation for developing the Code of Conduct for the Management of Fertilizers (CoCoFe)<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/activities/discussions/CoCoFe>. Please find below the summaries of the contributions received so far and a feedback message from Ronald Vargas, co-facilitator of the consultation. Ronald replies to comments made by participants and poses questions for further discussion. The CoCoFe, which aims to assist member countries in designing policies and regulatory frameworks for the sustainable use of fertilizers, will be developed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS). Your input to this consultation will allow the ITPS to better frame the needs of all stakeholders who would use the CoCoFe or be impacted by its use. To read more about the CoCoFe and its specific objectives, please visit the consultation webpage in English<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/activities/discussions/CoCoFe>, French <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/fr/activities/discussions/CoCoFe> or Spanish<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/es/activities/discussions/CoCoFe>. Here you will also find the questions we invite you to address during this consultation. You can post your contribution directly online upon registration<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/user/register>, or send it to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. We look forward to keep receiving your valuable input! Your FSN Forum team Ronald Vargas, co-facilitator of the consultation Dear Participants, I would like to thank each and every one of you for participating and providing your opinion and feedback on the development of a Code of Conduct for the Management of Fertilizers (CoCoFe). We are taking all of your comments into consideration. In order to have a better idea of what this code of conduct would be like, please take a look at this link where the same concept is applied to pesticide management: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/pests/code/en/ While the two documents will evidently be different due to the nature of the products discussed, does this change some of your responses? Mr. Mulugeta also brought up an important point that should be discussed: What terms and definitions should be included in the CoCoFe? I have also answered some comments below and would love to hear back from you, keep the discussion going! Dear Mr. Mulugeta, The Code of Conduct for Fertilizer Management will provide a framework aimed to guide government regulators, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders on best practice in managing fertilizers. We believe that this code of conduct will have a beneficial impact on the agricultural sector, but will also have economic and environmental benefits. We therefore hope that through the effective implementation of this code of conduct, we can achieve significant reduction in risks associated with fertilizer use on the environment (which would tackle the points that you mentioned above). I hope that this helps clarify the situation. Dear Mr. Tinsley, Thank you for your response, and yes you are right about the code of conduct focusing mostly on the administrative side. The code of conduct will provide a framework that will guide government regulators, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders on best practice in managing fertilizers. I would also like to thank you for the links you shared about the income differences between developed and developing countries, and how these differences can have an impact on the business environment and the tax base for supporting public agricultural services. Your concerns are valid and will be taken into consideration. Dear Mr. Darwish, Thank you for your input. The Code of Conduct for Fertilizer Management will provide a framework aimed to guide government regulators, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders on best practice in managing fertilizers. While getting input from farmers would be greatly beneficial, they are not the target audience for this document. There will be second planned document that will cover the other concerns. Dear Mr. Isingoma, Thank you for your input, and for your comment about combining objectives 1 and 5. We will be considering your comment. Just to clarify, objective one refers to increasing crop productivity, which in turn would increase global food production. The fifth objective refers to the availability of safe food of expected quality in the markets. As mentioned before, the scope of this code of conduct does not permit us to include farmers as the target audience. As Mr. Tinsley mentioned, a code of conduct generally provides us with a framework that would involve the administrative side of fertilizer usage. Thank you for the rest of your contribution and for pointing out the importance of organic fertilizer in SSA. While utilizing available resources such as organic fertilizers is encouraged and important if proper management practices are used, it is also important to meet the needs of the crops being grown as Mr. Tinsley mentioned. Dear Mr. Mohammed, Thank you for participating in this forum. You mentioned that the objectives might not be relevant for all participating countries. Is there a specific example that you can think of that might need a different set of objectives? While this code of conduct might be very general, it is a first step that provides a framework to help in managing and using fertilizers. It would not be country specific. With this information in mind, which nutrient input sources do you think should be included? Dear Mr. Fuentes, Thank you very much for your very insightful comments. You mention that the supply side of fertilizers should also be included in the code of conduct, and while we agree on the importance of the matter, we believe that splitting the two issues would be more appropriate. If you look at The International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management linked above, you might get a better idea of what this code of conduct would look like and the kind of information that would be included. With that in mind, do you have any other suggestions? CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED [icon]Mulugeta Taye, Dadimos Development Consultants, Ethiopia Mulugeta thinks that besides focusing on agriculture, the CoCoFe should also consider the water-energy-food-climate nexus. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8577> [icon]Dick Tinsley, Colorado State University, United States of America In his first contribution, Dick focuses on access to fertilizers and quality control, and shares his concerns with regard to the question of how governments with limited budgets can financially and effectively enforce fertilizer regulations. He also shares some webpages on this issue. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8582> Responding to Andrew’s first contribution (below), Dick posts a second contribution in which he questions whether it is appropriate to emphasize organic fertilizers, referring to the availability of material to make organic fertilizer relative to the potential demand, and to the labour and energy required to collect, process and redistribute organic fertilizers. In addition, he refers to relevant websites. Read the contribution <http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8587> [icon]Talal Darwish, National Center for Remote Sensing, Lebanon Talal believes that farmers and farmer cooperatives, consumers and students should be considered as the audience for the CoCoFe as well. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8583> [icon]Andrew Isingoma, Rwanda Agriculture Board, Rwanda Andrew’s first contribution emphasizes the benefits of organic fertilizers; according to him, this should be reflected in the CoCoFe. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8585> In his second contribution, Andrew shares his thoughts on comments posted by other discussion participants. For instance, he stresses that organic fertilizers can mainly be useful if chemical fertilizers are not available or accessible to farmers. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8592> [icon]Hamadoun A. Haidara, AADECOM, Mali According to Hamadoun, fertilizer management should be entrusted to a national and a local committee; subsequently, he lists the stakeholders that should be part of these committees. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8589> [icon]Yesuf Mohammed, University of Montana, United States of America Yesuf argues that the objectives of the CocoFe might not be relevant for all participating countries. Regarding the question of what the audience of the CoCoFe should be, he points out that engaging different stakeholders might involve a conflict of interest. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8590> [icon]Porfirio Fuentes, International Fertilizer Development Center, United States of America Porfirio addresses all the discussion questions, and argues that the CoCoFe should also consider the supply side of fertilizers. Furthermore, he argues that the focus should be on inorganic nutrient sources/fertilizer because of their physical and chemical characteristics. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8593> [icon]Amanullah, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan In his first contribution, Amanullah refers to a number of articles on the efficiency and profitability of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8579> In his second post, Amanullah shares his concerns about the labeling of fertilizers and the effects of the privatization of the fertilizer industry in Pakistan. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8584> [icon]Pradip Dey, ICAR-AICRP, Indian Institute of Soil Science, India Pradip posts recommendations on how potassium fertilizers should be utilized. Read the contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/comment/8591> www.fao.org/fsnforum<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/> CONTACT US<mailto:[log in to unmask]> • DISCLAIMER<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/disclaimer-copyright> ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the FSNFORUM-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.fao.org/scripts/wa-fao.exe?SUBED1=FSNFORUM-L&A=1