Living on air It’s impossible to “live on air,” naturally And yet, there’s a lot of truth in this saying. Our atmosphere supplies us with oxygen, water and nutrients. The Netherlands plays an important role in global food security. Thanks to our expertise and efficient farming methods, we’re able to achieve high crop yields while maintaining the long-term fertility of our soil. The key factor is optimal fertilization: organic manure as the basis, supplemented by the smart use of mineral fertilizers. • Mineral fertilizers are responsible for feeding almost half of the people on Earth. • The world population currently stands at seven billion and is growing by 200,000 people a day. • A world without fertilizers would be able to feed about four billion people. Why do we need to add nitrogen? Nitrogen is vital for all life on Earth. It forms the basis for our DNA and proteins and is a natural component of the air that we breathe. But to make nitrogen suitable for consumption, it needs to be converted into a “fixed” form called nutrient nitrogen. Plants use nutrient nitrogen to make proteins that serve as food for animals and people. After fixation, some of the nutrient nitrogen is lost again in the complex process of nitrogen utilization and consumption. That loss is natural and unavoidable and makes it necessary to replenish nitrogen in the soil. That is where fertilizers come in. I 3
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