As Fertilizer Prices Rise, Agroecology Offers a More Resilient Path for Farmers
Global fertilizer shortages are exposing the risks of farming systems that depend on expensive external inputs. As prices rise and supplies become less reliable, many farmers are looking for alternatives that can help them reduce costs and build self-reliance.
Authors: Sarah Sahlaney and Chandi Guntupalli
At Groundswell International, we often talk about how our network builds farmer self-reliance. In an increasingly interconnected world, why does this matter for farmers, their families, and communities? Recent news, and Usha’s story, show why self-reliance is such a valuable goal.
Throughout April and May, ships carrying hundreds of tons of chemical fertilizers sat in the Gulf of Hormuz, unable to reach their final destinations. One-third of the world’s chemical fertilizer moves through the Strait of Hormuz. As a result of shortages, the World Bank is warning that global fertilizer prices may increase by over 30% this year. Moreover, women and female youth farmers—already some of the most vulnerable members of farming communities—bear the brunt of rising global fertilizer and fuel prices.
India is especially exposed to these shocks, with recent disruptions affecting more than half of its urea imports. For farmers who depend on chemical fertilizers, this can mean higher costs, lower yields, more debt, and greater uncertainty. Additionally, in the decades following the Green Revolution, many Indian farmers have come to rely on chemical fertilizers to grow crops like rice. For these farmers, the fertilizer they rely on is either unavailable in their local markets or so overpriced that they cannot afford it. They are often dependent on inputs developed in distant cities and foreign countries.
Indian farmers also report a psychological toll; past fertilizer shortages and other climate-related shocks have led to increased rates of depression and even suicide among farmers across many states in India. For communities at large, lower yields mean higher food prices and more food insecurity.
There is an alternate approach—one that supports Indian farmers to grow more resilient and more crops without relying on chemical fertilizers. Groundswell International’s programs, which ensure that farmers have agroecological alternatives to chemical fertilizers, increase farmer self-reliance and build farmer resilience to shocks, stressors, and supply chain insecurity. This is the case with Usha, a farmer from Bihar, India.
Usha knows what dependence on outside inputs can mean for a farming family. Before adopting natural farming, she grew paddy, wheat, and vegetables such as okra, bitter gourd, cowpea, and gourds. Each season, she had to buy fertilizer, pesticides, and other inputs from local shopkeepers. The costs kept rising, but her yields remained low. Insects damaged her vegetables, forcing her to sell some produce at reduced prices, and much of what she earned went right back into the next season’s inputs.
“Even after using more fertilizer, production was still low,” Usha shared. “Half of what we produced went toward paying for fertilizer.”
For Usha, farming was a cycle of hard work, high costs, and uncertain returns. She was producing food, but too much of the value was leaving her household. Through training from Groundswell International’s local partner PRAN, she began learning natural farming practices that use locally available resources instead of costly chemical inputs.
The transition was not easy. Usha had doubts, and others questioned whether the new approach would work. But she began preparing natural inputs at home using cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, water, and other local materials. Her cows and buffaloes became part of the farming system, helping her produce what her soil needed without depending on outside suppliers.
Over time, the change became visible in concrete ways. Her fields looked greener. Her crops grew healthier. Her production increased from about 60 kg to 115 kg. She reduced what she spent on fertilizer and pesticides. She grew more food for her family from her own farm and kitchen garden. She sold some produce in a nearby market, about a 10- minute walk from her village, while keeping more income in the household.
“The yield nearly doubled.”
That increase has changed what Usha can plan for. Her children now attend a private English-medium school, and Usha, who studied through 12th standard herself, dreams of one day opening a school in Kasiyadih so children in her village do not have to travel far to learn.
Usha’s story does not end with her own field. She now encourages other women and farmers to try natural farming through monthly meetings, where she shares how to prepare local inputs and reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers. When others are skeptical, she can point to specific results: lower input costs, stronger harvests, more food at home, income from local sales, and improved opportunities for her children.
Looking ahead, Usha hopes natural farming will bring change not only to her household, but to her whole village.
“The village will stay green.”
Usha’s story shows what farmer self-reliance looks like in practice. It does not mean leaving farmers to face challenges alone. It means equipping farmers with the knowledge, confidence, local resources, and community support to protect their land, feed their families, and build a more secure future.
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Authors: Sarah Sahlaney and Chandi Guntupalli