Strategic Partnership Extended for Five Years Between the International Atomic Energy Agency and OCP Group
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and OCP Group have launched a strategic partnership extending over five years, aimed at accelerating scientific innovation in sustainable agriculture and building more resilient food systems. This initiative is part of the “Atoms4Food” initiative and supports global efforts to achieve food security.
Under this agreement, both parties will commence a coordinated research project that employs nuclear technologies and isotopes to enhance fertilizer use efficiency, improve the nutritional value of agricultural crops, and promote food system sustainability.
The project aims to generate practical, field-applicable results that will provide direct benefits to farmers, particularly in regions facing severe food security challenges.
In this context, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasized that this partnership represents a significant advancement in maximizing the impact of the “Atoms4Food” initiative through strategic collaboration. He noted that combining OCP Group’s extensive field expertise with the agency’s specialized knowledge in nuclear technologies can transform advanced scientific knowledge into practical solutions for farmers. He added that this cooperation will contribute to providing scientific evidence and tools necessary for optimal fertilizer use, cultivating higher nutritional value crops, and enhancing resilient food systems capable of adapting to climate changes, especially in the most vulnerable areas.
The research project focuses on improving the management of key nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, alongside essential trace elements, including zinc, iron, and selenium. By utilizing isotopic techniques, accurate and reliable scientific data will be produced to support the “Four Pillars” principles of nutrient stewardship: choosing the right source, at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place, thus providing farmers with practical guidance based on solid scientific foundations.
Maryam Al-Asrawi, Executive Director of Global Affairs at OCP Group, stated that this collaboration represents a notable strategic milestone for the group and a qualitative step towards strengthening global food security. She affirmed that integrating the IAEA’s global expertise with OCP Group’s extensive experience and pioneering innovations in plant and soil nutrition will generate transformative knowledge, supporting researchers and farmers on the ground and developing agricultural practices that achieve higher productivity and better nutritional quality, while ensuring long-term environmental sustainability.
This partnership is expected to yield high-quality data that will aid in informing public policies, guiding fertilizer innovations, and accelerating the transition toward climate-positive and nature-positive agriculture. It will also enhance scientific collaboration between Africa, the IAEA, and global research networks, helping countries adopt best practices in nutrient management, improve soil health, and increase crop productivity on a large scale, positively impacting global food security.
Since its establishment in 1957 under the United Nations, the IAEA, as the preeminent international government forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, continues its role in enhancing the contribution of nuclear technology to societal needs.
In this framework, the “Atoms4Food” initiative, launched in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2023, serves as a practical mechanism to assist countries in enhancing their food security and combating worsening hunger by providing innovative solutions tailored to each country’s needs, leveraging nuclear technologies alongside other advanced techniques to improve agricultural and livestock production, manage natural resources, reduce food loss, ensure food safety, enhance nutrition, and adapt to climate change challenges.
