The critical mineral that puts food on the table for half the world

Lithium runs our cars. Rare earths power defense and technology systems. Potash feeds us.

It isn’t flashy and it doesn’t grab tech headlines, but it’s the mineral that keeps about half the world’s food supply alive. When the United States Geological Survey quietly added potash to its draft Critical Minerals List this August, it wasn’t a surprise to industry players. Farmers have said the same thing for years: Whoever controls fertilizer supply controls food security.

Potash is a general term for a fertilizer based on potassium, the element that helps crops withstand drought and disease, and by extension, underpins global food security. For most of the last century, potash never made headlines. It was reliable and cheap enough to forget about. That’s changed.