14/03/2026
Synthetic fertilizers and fossil fuels are two cheeks from the same arse. Natural gas is both a raw ingredient in making fertilizer and the energy source that drives its production. The entire system of conventional global agriculture is now underpinned by the use and availability of synthetic fertilizers. When there is a fossil fuel supply shock this obviously impacts the price of fertilizer, which we're seeing, the knock on effect being food prices increasing.
This ongoing chaos in the Gulf yet again vindicates the position of organic farming as being the only truly sustainable system for feeding the world. Synthetic fertilisers are of course banned in organic, we instead rely on compost, animal manures and cover crops to build our fertility. The vast vast majority of these inputs can be grown or created on farm , our sourced locally, While both organic and conventional farmers are vulnerable to global supply chains and price increases, organic farmers and organic farm systems are far and away more resilient. The organic sector tried to explain this to the relevant authorities in the aftermath of Covid and again during the early days of the War in Ukraine when prices were skyrocketing, but were largely ignored. Here we are again.
