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DISCUSSION No. 147 • FSN Forum digest No. 1332
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Online consultation for developing the Code of Conduct for the Management of Fertilizers
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until
11 February 2018
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Dear Members,
Please find below the summaries of the new contributions received to the
Online consultation for developing the Code of Conduct for the Management of Fertilizers (CoCoFe).
In addition, we share with you a feedback message from the facilitators of the consultation. Debra, Ronald and Gary highlight
some of the main points that emerged in the latest comments.
We would like to encourage you to keep posting your ideas and to help make the process of developing the CoCoFe as inclusive
as possible.
For the introduction to this consultation, the guiding questions and the full versions of the comments received so far,
please refer to the
webpage, which is available in
English,
French and
Spanish.
To take part, you can post your comments online upon
registration or send them to
[log in to unmask].
We look forward to keep learning from you!
Your FSN Forum team
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Debra Turner, Ronald Vargas and Gary Pierzynski, facilitators
of the consultation
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Dear Participants,
We are six weeks into the forum now, a bit less if you consider the holiday period, and we are still receiving very valuable
feedback and inputs to the discussion on a future Code of Conduct on the Management of Fertilizers (CoCoFe). Again, we are extremely grateful to everyone for your contributions.
In the previous 2 weeks, we have received contributions from a broad representation of society, including Academia, Farmers
Organizations, and Industry. We have had a few more suggestions on how to better frame the objectives, such as including the issue of nutrient-use in relation to land-use, as well as including food nutrition in addition to food safety.
Once again, there is a broad consensus that all plant nutrient sources should be included in the CoCoFe as they are all
part of an Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) strategy to sustainable food production. It was also suggested that including advanced nutrient formulations will help encourage innovation and advancement in nutrient use efficiency technology.
With the extension of the forum until the 11th of February, we are still anticipating more feedback, both from those of
you who have responded already and from those of you who are new.
Next week, in addition to the digest, we will also provide some more information on the next-steps in the process towards
producing the CoCoFe document.
Thanks and best regards from the CoCoFe facilitation team,
Debra, Ronald and Gary
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CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED
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Straton
Khanje, United Republic of Tanzania
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According to Straton, the CoCoFe objectives are appropriate. He also believes that introducing microdosing of industrial
fertilizers in developing countries is inevitable.
Read
the contribution
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Kátia
Fernanda Garcez Monteiro, UVN/ONU, Brazil
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Kátia suggests that criteria and indicators be established in order to measure the progress regarding the adoption of
the CoCoFe.
Read
the contribution
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Lindsay
Campbell, University of Sydney, Australia
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Lindsay thinks that the CoCoFe should provide guidelines as to the consequences of over-fertilization, erosion hazards,
and the pollution of waterways, water bodies or groundwater. In addition, the CoCoFe should provide clear mandatory guidelines for labelling with respect to the elemental composition of fertilisers as well as complexing agents for micronutrients.
Read
the contribution
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Wolfgang
Hofmair, Borealis L.A.T. GmbH, Austria
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Wolfgang comments on the objectives of the CoCoFe and argues that maintaining global food production will not suffice,
pointing to challenges related to the increasing demand of renewable raw materials and changes in dietary behaviours in developing as well as developed countries.
Read
the contribution
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Wolfram
Zerulla, BASF SE, Germany
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Wolfram emphasizes that the application of all essential nutrients in a sufficient amount, at the right time and in the
right way is key to producing food in sufficient quantities and to avoid negative environmental impacts.
Read
the contribution
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Anatoliy
Khristenko, "Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research named after O.N. Sokolovsky", Ukraine
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Anatoliy points out that it is difficult to obtain a correct assessment of phosphorus, potassium and microelements in
the soil. The National Scientific Center "Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research named after O.N. Sokolovsky" has conducted work to improve the national standardization system in this regard, and more than 300 normative documents in the area
of soil science, agrochemistry and soil conservation have been developed.
Read
the contribution
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Alejandro
Silva, Sociedad Venezolana de la Ciencia del Suelo, Venezuela
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Alejandro suggests to review current and future technologies aimed at improving fertilizer use efficiency and minimizing
nutrient losses and environmental impact, taking the experiences of member countries as a reference and using a cost-benefit analysis.
Read
the contribution
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Muraleedhar
Prasad, Farm Care Foundation, India
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Muraleedhar provides some general suggestions on fertilizer management. He points to the Soil Health Card Scheme launched
in India and the Mobile Based Fertilizer Management System which monitors the supply and availability of different kinds of fertilizers with the help of mobile phones.
Read
the contribution
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Charlotte
Hebebrand, International Fertilizer Association, France
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Charlotte posts a contribution by the International Fertilizer Association, which stresses that overuse and underuse
of fertilizers are equally important challenges; they both reflect unsustainable practices and, as such, should be addressed in the CoCoFe. In addition, the CoCoFe should provide universal principles, which can then be translated into national fertilizer strategies
and site- and crop-specific fertilizer recommendations.
Read
the contribution
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Mylene
Rodríguez Leyton, Universidad Metropolitana de Barranquilla, Colombia
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Mylene underlines the health hazards associated with fertilizer use. She also argues that mechanisms used to improve
agricultural productivity should be oriented towards sustainability, and looked at from an economic, social and environmental perspective.
Read
the contribution
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Sally
Flis, The Fertilizer Institute, United States of America
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Sally presents the remarks by The Fertilizer Institute, which provides various suggestions on how the objectives of CoCoFe
could be modified. The first objective, for instance, should be changed into "increasing global food production on current agricultural land", and the fifth objective should include "nutrition" as well.
Read
the contribution
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Cassandra
Cotton, Fertilizer Canada, Canada
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Cassandra shares comments on behalf of Fertilizer Canada, which address all questions posed for discussion. The contribution
states that although CoCoFe is not designed to provide specific recommendations on field applications of fertilizers, it should be structured around an internationally recognized, science-based framework such as 4R Nutrient Stewardship.
Read the contribution
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Sandro
Secco, FCP Cerea, Italy
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Sandro stresses the importance of adopting a professional approach to fertilizer management based on specific crop needs
and soil characteristics.
Read
the contribution
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