bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng-a1eda67c1de1bda3.pdf

This policy brief examines the use of gypsum, an industrial by-product from phosphorus fertilizer extraction, as a soil amendment to reduce phosphorus run-off from agricultural fields into the Baltic Sea, specifically focusing on applications in Finland.

• The application of gypsum to agricultural fields reduces phosphorus run-off and erosion by approximately 50%, while simultaneously reusing industrial waste from phosphorus fertilizer extraction and reducing the need for virgin-mined phosphorus.
• Two major Finnish projects have tested gypsum application: Project SAVE (2016-2018), which monitored 1,500 hectares in the Savijoki River Basin with 55 farmers, and a subsequent 2018-2020 project involving 3,500 hectares in the River Vantaanjoki basin.
• Large-scale adoption of gypsum soil amendment could significantly impact Baltic Sea nutrient levels. In Finland, applying it to 540,000 hectares of eligible farmland (about one-quarter of arable lands) could reduce phosphorus loads by 300 tonnes per year. If adopted across coastal catchments in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Poland, annual phosphorus loads could decrease by 2,000 tonnes, achieving roughly 10% of the reductions called for in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
• While gypsum is effective in coastal drainage areas, it poses a risk of excess sulfate loading in freshwater lakes and groundwater, which can increase phosphorus release from bottom sediments and worsen eutrophication. Consequently, researchers advise against its use in groundwater recharge areas or lake drainage basins.
• To scale the use of gypsum, the brief recommends creating a national implementation plan for Southern Finland, including gypsum in national agricultural support schemes, providing government subsidies to farmers, and amending the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and HELCOM recommendations.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng-a1eda67c1de1bda3.pdf. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng-a1eda67c1de1bda3.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng-a1eda67c1de1bda3.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendbonusreturnpolicybrief2020finlandenga1eda67c1de1bda3pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng-a1eda67c1de1bda3.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonusreturn-policybrief2020-finland-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }