A chemical or natural substance added to soil to increase its fertility and improve plant’s growth and yield. The process of adding substances to soil to improve its growing capacity was developed in the early days of agriculture. Over time, fertilizer technology developed significantly as the chemical needs of growing plants were discovered.

Modern fertilizers are composed mainly of Macro-nutrients (Primary Nutrients) like Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) compounds with Micro-nutrients nutrients (Secondary Nutrients) added, these micro-nutrients can include Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Zinc, and many others. The use of synthetic fertilizers has significantly improved the quality and quantity of the food available today.