China is hungry…and gets hungrier every day. Satisfying hunger requires fertilizer…lots of it. Think: Potash.  China is not only getting hungrier, it is also developing a taste for the good life. Protein consumption always increases as a population’s wealth increases.

We haven’t yet seen the worst of this credit crisis, says Chris Mayer. A lack of funding is forcing farmers to reduce crop planting. And that will soon send commodity prices soaring again. Chris finds five beaten-down fertilizer and irrigation companies that will benefit as agriculture rebounds.

Tighter credit for farmers could worsen a global food crisis as smaller crop sizes cause prices to soar. Many farmers have traditionally bought pre-season supplies such as seeds and fertilizer on credit and then paid off the debt with the proceeds from the year’s harvest. But with a growing number of farmers unable to obtain the credit they need, crop yields will suffer.