Fertilizer Use for Grasslands and Fodder Crops between 1961 and 2019

Global data at the country level regarding the fertilization of grasslands (both permanent and temporary) and fodder crops is limited. Here, we present the findings of the first comprehensive review of the application of the three main nutrients used in fertilization: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

This dataset provides the estimations made as part of the publication:

 Coello, F., Decorte, T., Janssens, I., Mortier, S., Sardans, J., Peñuelas, J., Verdonck, T. (2025). "Global Crop-Specific Fertilization Dataset from 1961–2019." Scientific Data, 12:40. DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-04215-x.

Our results cover 63 out of the 75 countries reviewed, where we identified the portion of total agricultural fertilizer used for grasslands and fodder crops. The dataset provides annual data from 1961 to 2019, detailing the fraction (ranging from 0 to 1) of N, P, or K fertilizers applied, with 1 representing 100% of the country's agricultural fertilizer use.

We conducted a review of technical data, including global and national statistics on fertilizer use for various types of agricultural land, supplemented by scientific literature, for 75 countries where previous research indicated that more than 1% of total agricultural fertilizer was allocated to these lands. For each country, we justified our estimation methodology based on available data to maintain transparency. Detailed explanations of the country-specific decisions are provided in the publication.