TFI joins other ag groups for presentation at the UN

Washington-The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) joined representatives from the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the World Bank in May in conducting a United Nations (UN) learning center course titled A Global Toolbox to Manage Water and Nutrients for Agri-Communities. TFI Vice President of Scientific Programs Bill Herz presented at the UN sanctioned course, which was held as a part of the sixteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16) at UN headquarters in New York City. The objective of the learning center course was to teach delegates about technologies and tools, including best management practices (BMPs), available to achieve sustainable agricultural production goals and improve water quality and availability. Through the center, delegates learned how to identify the best management practices or land practices within the toolbox that protect and enhance water quality. TFI’s presentation centered on its stewardship system of using the right fertilizer product at the right rate, time, and place. “Using the tools that are available to them, farmers can properly manage fertilizers and on-farm sources of nutrients to meet food production needs while protecting the environment,” said Herz. “With today’s food supply crisis as a backdrop, it is important to remember that adequate soil fertility is often a limiting factor in enhanced food production.” The Commission on Sustainable Development – also known as CSD – was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, also known as the Earth Summit), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where world leaders signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity; endorsed the Rio Declaration and the Forest Principles; and adopted Agenda 21, a 300-page plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century. A copy of TFI’s learning center presentation can be found on TFI’s Web site at www.tfi.org.