Nitrogen Fertilization: Challenges and Strategies for Efficient and Sustainable Agriculture
- At the event, attended by nearly 200 participants, leading experts from the agricultural sector and representatives from public administrations gathered to analyze current challenges and innovations in fertilization.
- Now in its 17th edition, the conference has established itself as a platform for collaboration, debate, and innovation among the public and private sectors, the scientific community, and industry, with the aim of promoting more efficient agriculture.
Madrid, May 19, 2026. Representatives from academia, government institutions, and the business community gathered at the 17th Fertiberia Chair in Agro-Environmental Studies Conference, held at the auditorium of the ETSIAAB (School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering) of the Technical University of Madrid.
Against a backdrop of increasing regulatory pressure and transformation of the agricultural production model, the conference addressed one of the sector’s key challenges: how to achieve agriculture that protects soil health while using resources efficiently and responsibly.
The event also highlighted the current international geopolitical context and its direct impact on fertilization and access to strategic raw materials, underscoring the need to strengthen the agricultural sector’s autonomy, efficiency, and sustainability in a scenario marked by market volatility and uncertainty in supply chains.
The opening session featured Elena Busutil, Director General for Agricultural Productions and Markets at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Alberto Garrido, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the Technical University of Madrid; José Manuel Palacios, Director of ETSIAAB; and Juan Pablo Llobet, CEO of Fertiberia Group, who all agreed that fertilization is a fundamental pillar in ensuring agricultural production and the global food supply.
Elena Busutil noted that “the current international context has placed fertilizers at the center of the global economic agenda due to their impact on food security.” Expanding on this point, she added that “a large part of society today is aware of the importance of fertilizers.” The relationship between nitrogen fertilization and environmental stewardship in agriculture has become a central topic of debate in Europe.
Juan Pablo Llobet stated that “the current geopolitical context has demonstrated that Europe needs to preserve its own industrial capabilities in strategic sectors such as fertilizers. At Fertiberia, as Spain’s only vertically integrated company in the sector, we have industrial and innovation capabilities that are key to strengthening European autonomy in an area essential to food security.”
He also emphasized that “the company is accelerating its transformation process to move toward a more innovative, technological, and sustainable model, while taking a further step by integrating its nitrogen fertilization and biological products capabilities, combining both business units to develop differentiated solutions for the agriculture of the future.”
The event, moderated by economic journalist Luis Montoto, continued with a series of three presentations. Pablo Resco, representative of Plataforma Tierra, analyzed the current economic, strategic, and regulatory landscape of nitrogen fertilization. Next, Miguel Quemada, Professor at the Technical University of Madrid, focused his presentation on innovation for nitrogen efficiency and sustainable soil management. Finally, Fernando González, Professor at the University of León, presented several innovative strategies involving the application of new products aimed at reducing the environmental impact of nitrogen.
This year’s conference also included a roundtable discussion entitled “Challenges and Opportunities in Nitrogen Efficiency: Industry, Government, Agriculture, and Science in Dialogue.”
The panel featured Ramón Pelegrí, Commercial Director of Fertiberia Group; Juan Sagarna, Director of Sustainability and Innovation Projects at Spanish Agri-Food Cooperatives; María Luisa Ballesteros, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; José Luis Gabriel, Senior Research Scientist at INIA-CSIC; and Camino García, General Director of AEFA.
The discussion addressed collaborative efforts between industry and science to develop sustainable innovations such as microorganisms and biostimulants, enabling nutrients to be applied with maximum precision. The issue of over-fertilization was also discussed, highlighting the importance of preserving soil as an irreplaceable resource.
The conference, attended by nearly 200 people, concluded with remarks by Juan Manuel Arroyo, Director of the Fertiberia Chair in Agro-Environmental Studies at UPM. After 17 editions, this annual event continues to reaffirm its role as a key meeting point for innovation, knowledge exchange, and cooperation, with the goal of driving forward innovative solutions for more efficient, resilient, and sustainable agriculture.
