ABOUT Potassium (K) is the third of the indispensable macronutrients required for all life, alongside nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). All three of these macronutrients play a fundamental role in our food production and yet globally around one fifth of all agricultural soils face severe potassium deficiency. Whilst we do know that it is critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting global food production, there is still more that we need to discover about potassium supply, consumption and pollution risk. Potassium is the eighth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and the second most abundant nutrient after nitrogen. Despite this abundance, potassium is not always available in a form that can be used by plants. Bacteria are an important part of helping increase the availability of potassium. Potassium fertilizers are used to supplement soil nutrients and produce crops. ECOLOGICAL STATUS AND TRENDSPotassium can be found in many different types of rock in small concentrations. Hundreds of millions of years ago under hot, dry climatic conditions, deposits were formed from saltwater lagoons. These deposits form the larger, more commercially viable potassium deposits that are the target of potassium mining today and primarily for agricultural fertilizer.WHY DOES IT MATTERIn 2021 45 million tonnes of potassium was used globally. Around 95% of this was used for agricultural fertilizers, which represents a US$15 billion-dollar industry and equates to around 20-25% of total fertilizer consumption. The potassium can be formulated to create a combined Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer, or as a separate potassium-specific fertilizer, such as potassium chloride. The global demand for potassium was increasing at 2.4% per annum between 2015 and 2020 in order to meet the growing need for food production and biofuels. Like other nutrients (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) potassium is an important limiting factor for plant growth and deficiency can threaten food security. WHAT WE DOUNEP hosts the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management, launched in 2009. It promotes effective nutrient management, to both achieve food security and protect the environment.The environmental impacts of using potassium fertilizers on soils, water and air are not well understood, but we do know that potassium can be lost to the environment through erosion, leaching, burning, and harvesting of crops.Unlike phosphorus and nitrogen, no specific environmental concerns have been identified from losses of excess potassium, although overfertilizing could result in unnecessary costs for the farmer. FACTSPotassium (K) is the third of the indispensable macronutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) required for all life.Plants with enough potassium cope better with adverse conditions such as drought, frost damage, insect, and disease attacks.Around one-fifth of all agricultural soils face severe potassium deficiency.Potassium can be lost to the environment through erosion, leaching, burning, and harvesting of crops.There is a growing recognition of the importance of potassium and a need to increase our knowledge of this biogeochemical cycle.AGREEMENTS AND CONVENTIONS RELATED TO UNEP’S MANDATE ON POTASSIUMN/ARELATED PUBLICATIONSFacts-about-sustainable-potassium-management | UNEP – UN Environment ProgrammeWhat is Sustainable Potassium Management and Why Do We Need It?