+506 2216 0222 paesa@iica.int
Blog IICA

Monitoring, Evaluation and Best Practices

Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies

Evidences

83 results

Soybean oil rises 3.4% driven by biofuel demand

30/03/2026 Go to Evidence

Soybean oil prices rose up to 3.4% in Chicago, reaching 69.68 cents per pound — the highest level since late 2022 — driven by the Iran conflict and new US biofuel blending mandates that materially increase biomass-based diesel demand for 2026 (Hirtzer, Bloomberg Línea, 2026).

(Hirtzer, Bloomberg Línea, 2026).

Bloomberg Línea (2026)

Tag: Agriculture&Energy Geopolitics Food_Inflation
Country: United States
Sector: Agri-Food (total) Oilseed Crops
Area: Biofuels Agrifood Context

Increased logistics costs

29/03/2026 Go to Evidence

The cost of sending a container to the Middle East reached $7,500, after tripling due to the conflict (Infobae, 2026).

Infobae. (2026, marzo 29). El conflicto en Irán agrava la crisis de los agricultores de California. https://www.infobae.com/estados-unidos/2026/03/29/el-conflicto-en-iran-agrava-la-crisis-de-los-agricultores-de-california/

Infobae

Tag: Armed_Conflict
Country: ASEAN-8 countries: Association of Southeast Asian Nations United States
Sector: Fertilizers (Value Chain)
Area: International Trade and Regional Integration Bioinputs
Beneficiary: Private enterprises Agricultural producers

Increased fertilizer use

29/03/2026 Go to Evidence

The price of fertilizers increased by up to a third in one month due to the conflict (Infobae, 2026).

Infobae. (2026, marzo 29). El conflicto en Irán agrava la crisis de los agricultores de California. https://www.infobae.com/estados-unidos/2026/03/29/el-conflicto-en-iran-agrava-la-crisis-de-los-agricultores-de-california/

Infobae

Tag: Armed_Conflict
Country: United States World (aggregate)
Sector: Fertilizers (Value Chain)
Area: International Trade and Regional Integration Bioinputs
Beneficiary: Exporters Agricultural producers

Global concentration of production

23/03/2026 Go to Evidence

60% of global fertilizer production is concentrated in five countries (China, USA, Russia, India and Canada) (Plataforma Tierra, 2026).

Plataforma Tierra. (2026). El mercado mundial de fertilizantes en 2026: geopolítica y tensiones en la oferta. https://www.plataformatierra.es/mercados/mercado-mundial-fertilizantes-2026-geopolitica

Plataforma Tierra. (2026)

Tag: Armed_Conflict
Country: Canada China United States India Russia
Sector: Fertilizers (Value Chain)
Area: International Trade and Regional Integration Bioinputs
Beneficiary: Private enterprises Exporters Public institutions Agricultural producers

Farmers capture 18.5% of the final price

10/03/2026 Go to Evidence

18.5% of the final price of food purchased for at-home consumption in the United States was captured by producers in 2024.

USDA Economic Research Service (2026)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2026, March 10). Food Dollar: Summary findings. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-dollar/summary-findings

Tag: Value_chains Farm_To_Fork
Country: United States
Sector: Agri-Food (total)
Area: Agrifood Context Value Addition
Beneficiary: Agricultural producers Consumers

Change of land use

02/03/2026 Go to Evidence

6% of global land use change is attributed individually to countries such as Russia, India, China, and the United States (Kan et al., 2026).

Kan, S., Levy, S. A., Mazur, E., Samberg, L., Persson, U. M., Sloat, L., Segovia, A. L. R., Parente, L., & Kastner, T. (2026). Overlooked and overexploited: Extensive conversion of grasslands and wetlands driven by global food, feed, and bioenergy demand. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123(9), e2521183123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2521183123

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)

Country: China United States India World (aggregate) Russia
Sector: Agriculture, forestry, and fishery products Environment and natural resources
Area: Biodiversity Conservation

Less fertilizer, stable yields

19/02/2026 Go to Evidence

AI enables growers to use less fertilizer while maintaining reliable crop yields by supporting precise nutrient management strategies under uncertain market conditions.

Precedence Research (2026)

Precedence Research. (2026, February 19). U.S. Nitrogenous Fertilizer Market Size, Share and Trends 2026 to 2035. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/us-nitrogenous-fertilizer-market

Tag: AgTech SustainableProductivity Agriculture&Energy
Country: United States
Sector: Fertilizers (Value Chain) Fertilizers (products) Cereals and cereal products
Area: Science, Technology, and Innovation Digital Transformation
Instrument: Artificial intelligence Internet of things
Beneficiary: Agricultural producers
Result: Cost Reduction Improved productivity Rational and precise use of fertilizers

Urea leads nitrogen fertilizers

19/02/2026 Go to Evidence

2025 was the year in which urea dominated the U.S. nitrogenous fertilizer market as the product segment with the largest share.

Precedence Research (2026)

Precedence Research. (2026, February 19). U.S. Nitrogenous Fertilizer Market Size, Share and Trends 2026 to 2035. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/us-nitrogenous-fertilizer-market

Tag: Agriculture&Energy SustainableProductivity
Country: United States
Sector: Fertilizers (products) Fertilizers (Value Chain)
Area: Agrifood Context
Beneficiary: Agricultural producers Private enterprises
Result: Rational and precise use of fertilizers

Precision reduces waste

19/02/2026 Go to Evidence

Precision agriculture, through GPS-enabled application technology, soil moisture measurement, and analytics tools, helps better target nitrogen applications, reduce waste, and improve nitrogen use efficiency.

Precedence Research (2026)

Precedence Research. (2026, February 19). U.S. Nitrogenous Fertilizer Market Size, Share and Trends 2026 to 2035. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/us-nitrogenous-fertilizer-market

Tag: AgTech SustainableProductivity Value_chains
Country: United States
Sector: Fertilizers (Value Chain) Fertilizers (products) Information technology
Area: Science, Technology, and Innovation Digital Transformation Agrifood Context
Instrument: Internet of things Digitization of information Artificial intelligence
Beneficiary: Agricultural producers Private enterprises
Result: Rational and precise use of fertilizers Impact: Environmental sustainability Cost Reduction