Huntsville, Ala. — The 2012 class of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame includes the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), along with a space shuttle pilot, four aerospace engineers, a space museum, and a shipping container terminal. Maury Gaston, chairman of the hall of fame’s board of directors, said IFDC, founded in 1974 amid global food shortages, is known around the globe for helping farmers in developing countries increase the yields of their crops to help combat world hunger. Gaston remarked that the Muscle Shoals-based organization has had a tremendous impact with its fertilizer research and development, which has allowed third-world countries to dramatically increase food production, nothing that the research has also helped domestic farmers. Amit Roy, president and CEO of IFDC, responded that he is proud the organization was named to the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. "We’re extremely honored to be selected," said Roy, who attended the induction ceremony in Huntsville along with other IFDC officials. While IFDC has helped farmers in almost 100 countries boost their income by increasing crop yields through the use of fertilizer and improved farming methods, Roy said the challenges of feeding the world are far from over. He said IFDC researchers in the Shoals and around the globe are working to find new technologies to ensure that farmers will be able to produce enough food to feed an ever-growing world population. "In the United States, there might be one farmer who farms 2,000 hectares. In the places we work, there might be 2,000 farmers farming one hectare each," he said. "Our work is very challenging, but we are committed to making sure the global food security needs are met."
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain