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Zero hunger

How to close nutrient cycles for future Zero Hunger (PICO and Communication session)

EUROSOIL2020CONT-2135

TOWARDS CLOSING NUTRIENT AND CARBON CYCLES OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS IN EUROPE

Chantal Hendriks^{* 1}, Jan Peter Lesschen¹

¹Team Sustainable Soil Use, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

Content: European farming systems need to adopt sustainable management strategies to secure future food production with minimal impact on environment, nature and climate. The need for this transition is widely recognized, but the search for the best strategies is still challenging. This study, as part of the H2020 project Nutri2Cycle, focusses on strategies that improve nutrient cycling. This can, for example, be obtained by reducing atmospheric emissions, leaching to ground -and surface water, mineral fertiliser input, and the import of feed. The impact of a management strategy on the nutrient use efficiency depends on the current nutrient and carbon balance, and the type and location of the farming system. This study analyses the current nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) balance of EU member states, major losses in the nutrient and carbon cycle and the impact management strategies have on closing the nutrient cycle. The analyses are carried out using the deterministic emission and nutrient flow model Miterra-Europe. The model calculates greenhouse gas (CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O) emissions, nitrogen emissions (N₂O, NH₃, NO_x and NO₃), N and P flows and soil organic carbon stock changes on annual basis. There is a large diversity in environmental impacts within the EU, with high emission intensities in livestock dense regions such as The Netherlands and Belgium, whereas in some other regions negative nutrient and soil carbon balances occur. Closing nutrient and carbon cycles has therefore also more potential in one region compared to the other.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared

Keywords: carbon cycle, circular agriculture, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle