Policy paper

Belém Declaration on Fertilisers

Updated 24 November 2025

Fertilisers, in all their forms, are central to delivering nutrients to plants and are essential for food security. However, the production and use of fertilisers is causing significant harm to nature and the climate with significant associated economic costs. This requires urgent action to safeguard people, planet and prosperity.

We, as Ministers and leaders, recognise the vital role of fertilisers in food security and sustainable agriculture and their importance to bioeconomy, circular economy and clean energy strategies.

We commit to enhance nutrient use efficiency and reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions from fertiliser production as a key route to sustainable productivity growth, restoring and improving soil health, building soil carbon, and reducing environmental harms; ensuring that feeding the world does not compromise our climate, ecosystems, or future generations, while recognising national circumstances, development priorities, and promoting a just transition in fertiliser systems.

The case for immediate action is clear:

Environmental impact

Fertiliser production and use account for 5% of global GHG emissions. Agricultural practices contribute 75% of global nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrogen pollution is the third biggest driver of biodiversity loss globally. We need enhanced international collaboration to deliver a global transition to sustainable production and efficient use of fertilisers.

Economic opportunity

More sustainable nutrient management can yield benefits up to 25 times greater than the costs—through improved yields improved profit, reduced waste, and avoided environmental degradation. 200 million tonnes of nitrogen are lost to environment globally every year, equivalent to up to $200 billion. Circular bioeconomy approaches have potential to deliver growth and resilience. Accelerating the transition to clean ammonia and other low-carbon fertilisers could support economic and supply chain resilience.

Global inequities

Overuse in some regions causes ecosystem damage and crop losses worth up to $3.4 trillion annually. Underuse in others—especially in Africa—results in $4 billion in lost soil nutrients and a persistent yield gap, undermining food security and economic development.

We call for a sustainable, evidence-based approach to a global fertiliser transition—moving beyond divisions between organic and inorganic inputs. Both have value. When used together, they can enhance crop productivity, supporting soil health and ecological balance. We need to connect both the production of organic and inorganic fertilisers and their use, taking the whole nutrient cycle into account.

We recognise the role of modern bioinputs and biofertilisers, which offer significant sustainability benefits, recognising that approaches may differ according to agroecological and technological contexts, including nutrient-poor tropical and semi-arid soils where inorganic fertilisers remain indispensable for productivity, land restoration and food security.

We urge all stakeholders - governments, scientists, farmers, civil society, and industry to collaborate across sectors and borders, guided by science and shared purpose.

We declare our intent to:

Elevate the sustainable production of fertilisers and optimised nutrient management as a strategic priority for sustainable development, climate resilience, and food security

This supports the full implementation of the Rio Conventions and contributes directly to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement. We support efforts to embed fertiliser production and use into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other national plans, ensuring alignment with climate, biodiversity, and land restoration goals.

Recognise that both overuse and underuse of fertilisers threaten our ecosystems and food systems

Our goal is to optimise nutrient use across all farming systems, globally, through science-based, pragmatic action. We will champion evidence-based approaches, delivering measurable outcomes for people and planet. We pledge to engage the full spectrum of stakeholders—putting farmers at the centre—to co-create equitable, scalable solutions.

We invite the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to facilitate the coordination of existing international organisations, including Brazil’s Centre of Excellence in Fertilisers and Plant Nutrition, governments and initiatives to enhance international collaboration to reduce emissions from the production and use of fertilisers and drive international collaboration across five strategic pillars, in coordination with the FAO’s FAST Partnership and the Global Fertiliser Challenge, to monitor progress, share data and foster coherence across initiatives:

• research and development: Invest in innovation and knowledge sharing, fostering South–South and triangular cooperation to develop and scale solutions adapted to tropical and semi-arid conditions

• standards and regulation: Harmonise and improve science-based standards, certification and emissions monitoring, verification and reporting, considering national circumstances

• demand creation: Build market demand for sustainable practices and sustainably produced fertilisers, including through full life cycle, cross-value chain and scalable approaches that place farmers at the centre, and ensuring public funds deliver measurable economic, environmental and social benefits, promoting financial and non-financial incentives — including access to technology, capacity building, technical assistance, green credit lines, blended-finance facilities, payments for ecosystem services, carbon markets and sustainable certification schemes — to strengthen market demand and ensure accessibility for farmers of all scales

• finance and investment: Mobilise public and private capital for sustainable production and sustainable nutrient solutions, including concessional loans, guarantees, green bonds, currency-risk mitigation and carbon-market instruments to foster resilience and innovation along the supply chain

• coordination between existing initiatives: Identify synergies, generate shared priority actions and drive action by stakeholders and governments

We call on all stakeholders active in the fertiliser sector and related fields to make this declaration a turning point for international collaboration to drive a global transition to the sustainable production and efficient use of fertilisers, aligned with the UNFCCC COP30 Action Agenda and complementary international initiatives, in a manner consistent with national circumstances and priorities.

Endorsing countries and organisations:

• UK
• Brazil
• Japan
• Canada
• Climate and Clean Air Coalition
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development
• Ambition Loop
• Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers
• International Fertilizer Development Centre
• Clim-Eat
• Mission Possible Partnership