What would happen if we did not have fertilizers?

Answer 1

If we did not have fertilizers, large food manufacturers would predict that yields would decrease and millions or billions of people would starve. That is not true since current agricultural systems devote massive fields to monoculture, to grow one cash crop and replace the resulting depleted nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus with NPK fertilizers. Without NPK fertilizers, large food manufacturers would use compost or go back to small-scaled, organic permaculture, with many crops grown together, without chemicals or plows. We would have less, but high-quality, food. Fertilizers increase production, to feed large populations, even though quality is compromised.

Answer 2

The agriculture system would have to change dramatically. Large food manufacturers would tell you that yield would decrease and millions or billions of people would starve. That isn't true. Here is why. The current agriculture system uses massive monoculture fields (fields that grow only one crop). These deplete the soil, and the only way for them to rapidly replace the depleted nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus is to add an NPK fertilizer. These monoculture crops are for convenience, and do not necessarily have a higher yield per acre. They are just easier and cheaper for the company. If there were no NPK fertilizer, then either they would have to use an effective composting system to replace NPK, or farming would have to go back to a much smaller scale operation, where people would use organic permaculture systems (systems where many crops are grown together, chemicals aren't used, and the soil isn't plowed). Big companies probably wouldn't give up that easy though, so they would probably just find a way to replace fertilizer with compost.

Answer 3

If there would not have been any fertilizers, then we would be having less but high quality food. Fertilizers increase the production but quality is compromised. But without them it would be difficult to feed such a large population.