While I am here in Doha Qatar for the International Fertilizer Industry Association meeting, the Group of Eight (G8) leaders are meeting at Camp David in Maryland - just about an hour north of TFI's Washington, D.C., offices. During the G8 meeting, President Obama will provide an update on the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative, an international initiatve to combat world hunger by G8 nations. At the center of this historic agreement is a $22 billion commitment to food and agriculture projects. Fertilizer along with infrastructure including roads; seeds and grain storage is a critical component of this effort. 

Coinciding with the G8 meeting, TFI is joining ANDA (the Brazilian Association for the Promotion of Fertilizer); the Canadian Fertilizer Institute; Fertilizers Europe and the International Fertilizer Industry Association in launching "Roots for Growth," a campaign that highlights fertilizers' role in global sustainability.

Visitors to the Roots for Growth website will find a video and several infographics that highlight the fertilizer industry's positive role in food and nutrition security; soil health; the environment and sustainability.

• Fertilizer use is currently responsible for approximately 50 percent of the world's food production, yet by 2050, the world will have to produce 70 percent more food to meet the needs of a growing population;
• Fertilizer is helping feed billions today still, an estimated 925 million people remain hungry - that's 1 in 7 people around the world;
• By 2050 77 percent of the increase in world food production must come from increasing yields with 14 percent coming from increased cropping intensity and just 9 percent coming from bringing more land into production. Clearly, the efficient use of fertilizer is a the heart of meeting the challenge of increasing world food production.

While these facts alone are quite a bit to think about, there is much more news about fertilizers' central role in improving lives in the global community. I encourage you to visit Roots For Growth to learn much more.

Ford