Subsidy as An Economic Instrument for Environmental Protection: A Case of Global Fertilizer Use

Mathy Sane,Miroslav Hajek,Ratna Chrismiari Purwestri,Chukwudi Nwaogu

doi:10.3390/su13169408

Mathy Sane, Miroslav Hajek + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169408

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Abstract

Fertilizer subsidies may constitute a key economic tool with which to provide food for the growing population. Therefore, this work aimed to (i) assess the effectiveness of subsidized chemical (NPK) fertilizer use in food production by comparing the crop output between developed and developing regions and (ii) examine the benefits of organic fertilizer and the need for its use in developing regions such as Africa. Secondary data from 2000 to 2019 on global subsidized fertilizer use, crop production, income, and other agro-environmental parameters, such as climate and soil, were collected from the international databases of the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and World Income Inequalities Database (WID), as well as countries’ national statistics. Data were analyzed using qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial software and techniques, such as SPSS, averages, multivariate analysis, and spatial analytical Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. The results reveal that the total global fertilizer use continuously increased from 79 million tonnes in 2000 to 125 million tonnes in 2019. Subsidized fertilizer use and crop production increased with countries’ economic status. For example, countries or regions with more economic resources tended to have higher fertilizer subsidies. More than 95% of North American and European countries recorded the highest total chemical fertilizer use, ranging from 855,160 to 18,224,035 kg ha−1. In terms of organic fertilizer production, the percentage contribution in Africa relative to global production was only 2%, which was about 932,538 million tonnes below the production yield in North America. More organic fertilizer and less inorganic fertilizer should be encouraged instead of the total eradication of chemical fertilizers. This is especially applicable to developing countries, where food production is low due to poor soil and high food demand owing to a harsh environment and rapid population growth.

Highlights

Economic instruments for environmental protection are policy mechanisms that aim to improve and promote the sustainability or efficient use of environmental resources, affecting their allocation through price mechanisms [1]
This study found that more than 95% of North American and European countries had the highest total fertilizer use, ranging from 855,160 to 18,224,035 kg ha−1
This study proves that environment-economic systems have strong relationships with fertilizer subsidies and crop production

Summary

Introduction

Economic instruments for environmental protection are policy mechanisms that aim to improve and promote the sustainability or efficient use of environmental resources, affecting their allocation through price mechanisms [1]. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9408 have adopted these economic instruments to protect their environments [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. These economic tools have been implemented more extensively in the developed world than in the developing world, even though developing countries need them the most because of their socioeconomic and environmental challenges [18]. Methods include specifications on the use (or refraining from the use) of fertilizers or pesticides, the use of specific seasonal crops, and the increased use of conservative agriculture [20]

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