Why Are European Farmers Immune to the Fertiliser Crisis?

Some European farmers avoid fertiliser price crisis

Fertilisers are chemicals that farmers add to soil to help crops grow. When the price of fertilisers goes up, farming becomes more expensive and food becomes more expensive.

Fertiliser prices have been rising because of the war in the Middle East, which has pushed up energy prices. Making fertiliser requires a lot of energy — especially natural gas.

But not all European farmers are affected equally. Some farmers have found ways to protect themselves from these rising costs.

How? There are three main strategies.

First, some farmers signed long-term contracts with fertiliser suppliers before prices increased. These contracts locked in lower prices, so they are not paying the new, higher rates.

Second, some farms have switched to organic or regenerative farming methods. These approaches use less chemical fertiliser because they rely more on natural processes — like composting and crop rotation — to maintain soil health.

Third, some farmers invested in technology that measures exactly how much fertiliser each part of a field needs. This 'precision agriculture' reduces waste and costs.

The farmers who used these strategies are doing much better than those who did not plan ahead.