Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use

This research paper examines the unsustainability of linear phosphorus (P) fertilizer use and proposes strategies to improve phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture to preserve finite fossil reserves and reduce environmental pollution.

• The current linear movement of phosphorus from mines to consumption is unsustainable because fossil phosphate rock reserves are finite. Over-application and the neglect of recycling phosphorus from human excreta and organic wastes lead to P becoming agronomically inactive, unsuitable for recycling, or a pollutant in surface water.
• Agricultural phosphorus application could be significantly reduced without compromising crop yields or increasing environmental impact by implementing a combination of optimized land use, improved fertilizer recommendations and application techniques, modified livestock diets, and adjusted livestock densities.
• To ensure sustainable phosphorus use, the replacement of phosphorus exported from farms should eventually rely entirely on phosphorus recovered from wastes, a process that requires stimulation through policy measures.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use. https://www.sei.org/publications/improved-phosphorus-use-efficiency-in-agriculture-a-key-requirement-for-its-sustainable-use/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/improved-phosphorus-use-efficiency-in-agriculture-a-key-requirement-for-its-sustainable-use/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use |date=20 July 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/improved-phosphorus-use-efficiency-in-agriculture-a-key-requirement-for-its-sustainable-use/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011improved, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Improved phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture: a key requirement for its sustainable use}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/improved-phosphorus-use-efficiency-in-agriculture-a-key-requirement-for-its-sustainable-use/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }