ECOFI joined the voices commenting on the draft FAO Code of Conduct for the Use and Management of Fertilizers. FAO is the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
ECOFI welcomes the development of an International Code of Conduct for the Use and Management of Fertilizers by the FAO and considers that the Code covers an important topic that merits appropriate reflection, discussion and consultation.
Specific points for further discussion (see attached document) include:
1) The excessive emphasis on mineral fertilizers, with all other technologies cast as corrective measures or in a secondary role rather than essential parts of integrated soil fertility and plant nutrient management
- e.g. according to its current inappropriate definition of contaminants, the carbon in an organic fertilizer would be considered a contaminant;
- organo-mineral fertilizers are not mentioned in the text
2) The circular economy and industrial symbiosis
3) Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change
4) The need to revise several of the terms and definitions