Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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I use rock phosphaste amending my beds.

Mid-East unrest could increase global phosphorus threat
by Terry Clinton Published Feb 2 2011 by University of Technology Sydney
http://newsroom.uts.edu.au/search/site/phosphorus
   Two Australian experts in global phosphorus have warned instability in the 
Middle East and North Africa could threaten world food security, due to the 
high proportion of global phosphate rock reserves in the region. Speaking in 
the US today at the Sustainable Phosphorus Summit at Arizona State 
University, Professor Stuart White and Dr Dana Cordell voiced concern that 
the instability is an additional component in a looming supply-demand gap in 
global phosphorus resources.
   Phosphorus is required to produce fertiliser and is not able to be 
substituted in food production.
"Morocco alone controls the vast majority of the world's remaining high 
quality phosphate rock," Professor White said. "Even a temporary disruption 
to the supply of phosphate on the world market can have serious ramifications 
for nations' food security."
   Professor White and Dr Cordell, from the Institute for Sustainable Futures 
at the University of Technology, Sydney, are leading an international 
research initiative on the likely peak in  phosphate rock production before 
the end of the century. "Demand for phosphorus is increasing globally due to 
changing diets in developing countries, biofuel production and population 
growth," Professor White said.
   "Peak phosphorus is often highly misunderstood as the 'year we will run 
out of phosphorus'. The peak actually refers to the point in time when 
production will no longer be able to keep up with demand due to economic and 
energy constraints. Whilst the exact timeline is uncertain, it will be much 
sooner than the time when all the reserves have been depleted. "Even before 
the peak in production occurs, there is the prospect of significant price 
spikes and impact on farmers and global crop yields."