North Africa holds roughly 78 percent of the world’s phosphate reserves, while African fertiliser production has grown by 146 percent since 2002.

North Africa holds roughly 78 percent of the world’s phosphate reserves, while African fertiliser production has grown by 146 percent since 2002.

Science tells us a system is weak long before it breaks, but history shows it often takes a crisis for that lesson to sink in. This year, the lesson arrived painfully.