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INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
27 November 2024
IAEA and Anglo American Launch Research Project Under Atoms4Food Partnership
The landmark initiative was launched last year to expand the use of nuclear techniques to enhance agricultural productivity, reduce food losses, improve nutrition and adapt to the challenges of climate change.
“To tackle global hunger and increase food security, we need science, we need innovation, and we need to make the most of all available tools, including nuclear techniques,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “We also need everybody engaged, especially the private sector. This partnership with Anglo American will help us to maximize impact and scale up interventions.”
CEO of Anglo American’s Crop Nutrients business Tom McCulley said: “Our research partnership with the IAEA is a perfect example of our purpose in action – we are re-imagining mining to improve people’s lives. It is abundantly clear that, as a society, we need to change the way we grow food around the world – moving away from legacy inputs into more sustainable farming practices.”
Research project to develop climate smart agricultural practices
One of the main objectives of the five-year research project is to measure and compare the benefits and effectiveness of applying polyhalite mineral and other commercially available soil additives to reclaim salt-affected soils, enhance crop productivity and quality under changing climate, and understand nutrient release and dynamics.
“Polyhalite has a major role to play, and we are currently developing a mine in the UK to access the world’s largest known deposit,” CEO McCulley said. “Soil degradation and salinity is an enormous and underappreciated problem, and I congratulate the FAO and the IAEA for their leadership on this critical issue, and we look forward to making a real difference through our collaboration.”
Polyhalite is a naturally occurring mineral containing the nutrients potassium, sulphur, magnesium and calcium. Anglo American is currently developing the Woodsmith Project in the northeast of England to access the world’s largest known deposit of polyhalite as a source of environmentally friendly soil fertilizers. Research is required to understand the full potential of this complex mineral. The IAEA, through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, has extensive experience and expertise in the use of isotopic techniques to trace the dissolution and movement of nutrients in soils. The movement of nutrients in soils is key to understanding and comparing how natural minerals behave in soils containing natural polyhalite compared to commonly available fertilizers.
“Through this partnership, we are leveraging nuclear science and its applications to research and improve agricultural practices, which could ultimately have a significant impact on crop productivity and food security,” Director General Grossi said.
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About the IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves as the world’s foremost intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Established as an autonomous organization under the United Nations (UN) in 1957, the IAEA carries out programmes to maximize the useful contribution of nuclear technology to society while verifying its peaceful use.
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