Iran war forces farmers to seek fertilizer alternatives from cow dung to compost

DAKAR, Senegal, May 31 (AP): When Senegalese farmer Abou Sow first watched U.S. missiles strike Iran on social media, he had a sinking feeling it would soon affect agriculture in the West African nation. Since the war began on Feb. 28, fertilizer prices have risen by 40%.
Sow was better prepared than most. Eight years ago, he gave up chemical fertilizers for organic compost and other natural sources. He now rallies farmers in Senegal to buy manure from local herders and gives advice on how to make a rich compost, picking out wriggling worms - a healthy sign.
"We can't afford to wait for a ceasefire," Sow said. "It's risky to depend on chemical fertilizers." Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has affected the supply of natural gas, essential for making chemical fertilizer, as well as global shipping.
The Gulf region produces 30% of globally traded chemical fertilizer, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, and global prices have increased by 50%, according to the World Bank's fertilizer price index.
"The clock is ticking very hard," said Maximo Torero, chief economist at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization, as concerns grow about food security.
Experts say a shift away from chemical fertilizer could have wider benefits, as its production and usage create significant greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change.
Natural fertilizers, by contrast, can sequester carbon in the soil and create fewer problems like runoff that can pollute waterways.
"It's good for the planet because you're weaning food production off fossil fuels," said Susan Chomba, member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, a think tank.
In Senegal, some are grateful for sheep manure
Senegal annually imports 125,000 tons of fertilizer. The minister of agriculture, Mabouba Diagne, has said the state sourced enough chemical fertilizer for the current season, but farmers said it is increasingly difficult to find.
Farmer Aliou Fall blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for the soaring fertilizer costs. "He brings war to the world and he doesn't even think about it. Now farmers are suffering," Fall said.
Annually, Sow applies six tons of compost instead. He said he is fortunate to be near a town where manure is plentiful because residents rear sheep for religious holidays.
In rural areas and remote fields, however, it is challenging to source and transport large quantities of manure, and Sow fears that some people will abandon their fields in this difficult time.
One alternative is the industry in biofertilizers, products containing bacteria and other microorganisms
to help plants absorb nitrogen, a
crucial nutrient for growth, from the
air and soil. A growing number of companies in Africa make industrial quantities of compost with municipal waste, decomposing food waste into fertilizer.
Senegal's government announced in April it would subsidize and distribute 30,000 tons of organic fertilizer products to help farmers. Sow said that's not enough.