From plant to fork: a rapid assessment of the fertilizer and food crisis in Central America

The cost of fertilizers has increased so dramatically across Central American countries that resource-constrained farmers like Edwin are having to reduce the fertilizer amount they use, plant less, and increase prices of the crops they sell. These responses threaten further increases in food insecurity in a region where food inflation is escalating (Figure 1). So why are fertilizer prices so high, and what can countries do about this?