National phosphorus planning for food and environmental security

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science
• Food Security Studies

Background:

• Nations heavily depend on phosphate rock for fertilizers, crucial for crop yields and food security.
• Constrained phosphate rock reserves and supply chain issues pose risks to nutrient access for farmers globally.
• Inefficient fertilizer use and inadequate wastewater treatment lead to phosphorus pollution, causing eutrophication and harming aquatic ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review literature on risks to food security and water quality from reliance on phosphate rock.
• To identify gaps in current risk assessment approaches, particularly economic vulnerability.
• To explore the development of National Sustainable Phosphorus Plans for a circular phosphorus economy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on phosphorus supply, management, and pollution.
• Analysis of data and tools for assessing food system exposure and environmental pollution.
• Identification of economic vulnerability as a critical, often overlooked, factor in risk assessments.

Main Results:

• Existing assessment tools can evaluate phosphorus exposure in food systems and environmental pollution.
• Current approaches often neglect economic vulnerability, underestimating the urgency of phosphorus-related risks.
• National Sustainable Phosphorus Plans can integrate actions for recycling and pollution reduction.

Conclusions:

• Integrating economic vulnerability into assessments is crucial for understanding phosphorus risks.
• National Sustainable Phosphorus Plans can guide actions for phosphorus recycling and pollution control.
• Developing a circular phosphorus economy requires integrated actions addressing supply, management, and pollution.