Fertilizer began with farmers reusing nutrient-rich materials, not with factories. Over time, treated bones, mined minerals, concentrated natural deposits and industrially produced ammonia supplied crops with nutrients on a much larger scale. That history differs by nutrient: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each followed a distinct path.
Before industrial fertilizer, farmers reused nutrients
Farmers used nutrient-rich materials long before there was a fertilizer industry. The historical record does not establish one universal date for the first application. A 1977 review by Darrell A. Russel and Gerald G. Williams says Neolithic people probably used fertilizers, while making clear that this is a probability rather than a precisely dated invention.
Reusing organic materials was fundamentally different from manufacturing concentrated fertilizer. It returned nutrients already present in materials such as bones or other organic matter; later industrial processes and mining made particular nutrients available in more concentrated forms.
Phosphorus: from acid-treated bones to mineral sources
The first fertilizer made by chemical processes identified in Russel and Williams’s 1977 history was ordinary superphosphate. It was produced early in the nineteenth century by treating bones with sulfuric acid. The treatment made bone phosphorus usable in a manufactured fertilizer.
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As fertilizer production developed, phosphate rock and coprolites—fossilized animal dung—became phosphorus sources. This was a shift from processing bone material to drawing on mineral deposits. It is one reason the history of fertilizer cannot be told as a single transition from “natural” to “chemical”: mineral sources and chemical processing became intertwined.
Nitrogen: natural deposits before industrial ammonia
Before synthetic ammonia, geographically concentrated deposits supplied important nitrogen fertilizers. Peruvian guano and Chilean nitrate helped address nitrogen scarcity. Their importance depended on access to deposits and the ability to transport the material to farms.
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The decisive change came when chemists learned to produce ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen. A scientific review dates Fritz Haber’s synthesis to 1908; Carl Bosch completed the first large manufacturing plant in 1914. The FAO AGRIS historical record says synthetic ammonia was available after 1913, enabling new nitrogen fertilizers. Together, these developments brought fixed nitrogen into industrial production rather than relying only on naturally occurring deposits.
Potassium: a separate mining and regional history
Potassium fertilizer followed a different path from synthetic nitrogen. The industry began in Germany in 1861. North American production started during World War I, then expanded with the development of deposits in New Mexico in 1931 and Saskatchewan in 1958, according to Russel and Williams’s historical review.
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The three major fertilizer nutrients therefore have distinct histories: industrially fixed nitrogen, chemically processed and later mined phosphorus, and potassium obtained through a geographically expanding mining industry.
| Nutrient | Historical source or pathway | Milestones documented in the cited accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | Guano and Chilean nitrate, followed by ammonia synthesized from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen | Haber synthesis: 1908; first large Bosch plant completed: 1914; synthetic ammonia available after 1913, according to the FAO AGRIS record |
| Phosphorus (P) | Bones treated with sulfuric acid, followed by phosphate rock and coprolites | Ordinary superphosphate made early in the nineteenth century |
| Potassium (K) | Commercial production based on mineral deposits | Industry began in Germany in 1861; North American production began during World War I; later expansion included New Mexico in 1931 and Saskatchewan in 1958 |
Industrial fertilizer and the expansion of use
Industrial processes and mineral deposits changed how much fertilizer could be produced and where it could be supplied. The modern scale is visible in FAOSTAT’s 2025 release: worldwide use of inorganic fertilizer rose from 142 million tonnes in 2002 to 190 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of 34 percent over that period. The figures describe a global total, not a uniform increase in every country or every year.
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| FAOSTAT measure | 2023 figure | Unit and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Inorganic fertilizer use, total | 190 | Million tonnes of fertilizer, worldwide |
| Nitrogen use | 112 | Million tonnes of nutrient nitrogen (N), worldwide |
| Phosphorus use | 41 | Million tonnes expressed as phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), worldwide |
| Potassium use | 38 | Million tonnes expressed as potassium oxide (K2O), worldwide |
| Inorganic fertilizer production | 208 | Million tonnes produced worldwide |
These measures are not interchangeable: the total use and production figures are fertilizer-product tonnage, while the N, P2O5 and K2O figures are nutrient accounting. The nutrient values also do not add exactly to the rounded total. All figures are for inorganic fertilizers in 2023, as reported in FAOSTAT’s 2025 release.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A U.S. example: fertilizer use is not one global story
U.S. fertilizer consumption illustrates a national pattern rather than a worldwide trajectory. The USDA Economic Research Service says consumption grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s alongside acreage planted to high-yield varieties and hybrids that responded to commercial fertilizer. It reached a reported peak of 23.7 million nutrient short tons in 1981. ERS describes later total use as fluctuating without a persistent trend.
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ERS also links fertilizer price increases through 2008 largely to high energy prices and input costs. That account is specific to the U.S. and to the period described; it should not be treated as a universal pattern in fertilizer use or prices.
Why the history still matters: nutrient balance
Fertilizer can replenish nutrients crops remove, but the appropriate amount depends on nutrient, soil and location. FAOSTAT’s 2025 cropland nutrient-balance release reports global 2023 surpluses of 85 million tonnes of nitrogen, 7 million tonnes of phosphorus and 11 million tonnes of potassium. These are global surplus estimates, not a claim that every field or country has excess nutrients.
FAO notes that too little nutrient use can reduce soil fertility, while excess can contribute to pollution through runoff and leaching and to greenhouse-gas emissions. The historical record shows how fertilizer expanded the supply of crop nutrients; nutrient-balance data show why the consequences depend on how much is applied, which nutrient is used, and where and how it is managed.
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