Why Do We Use Fertilisers? | FoodUnfolded Animated Short

While they remain a controversial topic, fertilisers are an essential tool for modern farmers, who use them to achieve high crop yields and replenish the soil nutrients lost from cultivation. This enables economies of scale that help to keep both farmers in business and food prices low for consumers. But, there are a range of environmental issues too. Not all of the nutrients from fertilisers are used by the plant or retained in the ground. The rest runs off or leaches from the soils and into the surrounding habitats, leading to biodiversity loss and eutrophication of waterways, and the development of toxic blue-green algae. So what alternatives are there?

Script by Eloise Adler

Voiceover by Jane Alice Liu

Illustrations by Cait Mack

Animations by Eloise Adler