It’s hard to believe that one in nine people don’t have enough food to live a healthy life. Millions of people lack access to food resources they need. And millions more live in regions that aren’t capable of producing the amount of food needed to keep up with growing populations. New technologies and innovations are continually being developed to fight against this truth. Today, there are highly efficient fertilizers and food preservatives that bring relief to communities and families without access to these resources.

The oil and natural gas industry is contributing in ways you may not realize. By-products of oil and natural gas serve as foundational components to some of the most critical elements that enable food production worldwide. With abundant access to natural gas, which is the main ingredient in fertilizer, farmers are able to keep up with these growing demands. And we’re able to preserve foods longer through oil and natural gas byproducts allowing them to be shipped and delivered to those in need.

Discover how oil and natural gas are making these life-impacting resources possible.

Nitrogen Fertilizer

Food production needs to double over the next 30 years to handle population growth. Nitrogen fertilizer currently contributes to 50% of global food production. A process known as the Haber Bosch process has been developed to produce mass quantities of fertilizer from natural gas. In this process, hydrogen is separated from natural gas and combined with nitrogen to create highly-efficient fertilizer. This allows farmers to grow more food in shorter periods of time.

Food Preservatives

A variety of foods utilize preservatives to keep them from perishing. Things like cheese, breads, juices, etc. all contain the preservative propionic acid. Propionic acid is a colorless oily liquid that naturally occurs in dairy products and in human metabolism. Commonly used in food preservatives, the same substance can also be made from oil and natural gas compounds such as ethylene and carbonyl, allowing foods to be kept fresh for longer periods of time. This way it can be shipped over long distances to people who wouldn’t normally have access to it.

What can you do? Act. Watch this short video and donate to your local food bank to help fight hunger.

Donate to your local food bank here: http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank

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