Anglo American in pioneering agreement to research benefits of polyhalite for food security
Anglo American has entered into a pioneering agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an autonomous international organisation within the United Nations, to research the effectiveness of polyhalite on mitigating soil salinisation – a growing threat to global food security.
The five-year project conducted by the IAEA and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation will assess how polyhalite, Anglo American’s multi-nutrient natural mineral fertiliser product, could help reduce high levels of salt in soil.
This is a major factor in the degradation of soil health globally, affecting 932 million hectares of land – around one third of all irrigated land.
Using isotopic techniques, the project will also research how polyhalite enhances crop productivity and quality in a changing climate.
Anglo American will produce polyhalite from its Woodsmith mine that is under development at Sneaton, near Whitby.
Polyhalite is a naturally occurring mineral containing potassium, sulphur, magnesium and calcium and is set to become one of the few globally scalable low carbon and organic fertiliser solutions available to tackle the agricultural challenge of increasing yields while reducing emissions and supporting healthier, more resilient soils.
The FAO & IAEA Atoms4Food’s mission is to accelerate the development and deployment of isotopic techniques to improve crop resilience, soil health, and food security globally.
Tom McCulley, CEO of Anglo American’s Crop Nutrients business, 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.
"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.
"Soil degradation and salinisation 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.”
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of IAEA, said: “This partnership with Anglo American will help us to maximise impact and scale up interventions.”