Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable and strategic resource which future scarcity will constraint global food security. Europe is highly dependent on imported P. Circular economy strategies and better allocation of the resource is thus critical for ensuring agriculture sustainability. In a recently published paper, a joint team of LEX4BIO soil scientists discuss that a more precise allocation of Phosphorus is possible by identifying sites where agricultural production can be increased with phosphorus fertilizers, and also that most of the European demand for the mineral could be covered by recycling P from manure, wastewater, and municipal solid waste.
The map below shows distribution of Olsen P threshold values for fertilizer response in croplands in the European Union (EU-28 including United Kingdom). The figure represents median values by NUTS3 regions according to the conservative model for threshold value estimation based on soil clay content and pH. Link to the full publication here
