Achieving Sustainable Phosphorus Use in Food Systems through Circularisation
Date
2018-05-30
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Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The notion of a phosphorus (P) circular economy provides the philosophy, framework,
and opportunity to enable food production systems to become more efficient, sustainable,
and resilient to a future P scarcity or sudden price shock. Whilst P recovery and recycling are central
strategies for closing the P cycle, additional gains in environmental performance of food systems
can be obtained by further minimising the amounts of P (a) introduced into the food system by
lowering system P demand and (b) lost from the system by utilising legacy P stores in the landscape.
This minimisation is an important cascading component of circularisation because it reduces the
amounts of P circulating in the system, the amounts of P required to be recycled/recovered and
the storage of unused P in the landscape, whilst maintaining agricultural output. The potential
for circularisation and minimisation depends on regional differences in these P flow dynamics.
We consider incremental and transformative management interventions towards P minimisation
within circular economies, and how these might be tempered by the need to deliver a range of
ecosystem services. These interventions move away from current production philosophies based on
risk-averse, insurance-based farming, and current consumption patterns which have little regard
for their environmental impact. We argue that a greater focus on P minimisation and circularisation
should catalyse different actors and sectors in the food chain to embrace P sustainability and should
empower future research needs to provide the confidence for them to do so without sacrificing future
regional food security.
Description
Publication history: Accepted - 28 May 2018; Published - 30 May 2018.
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Keywords
phosphorus, food system, circular economy, circularisation, minimisation, efficiency, resilience, sustainability
Citation
Withers, P., Doody, D. and Sylvester-Bradley, R. (2018) ‘Achieving Sustainable Phosphorus Use in Food Systems through Circularisation’, Sustainability, 10(6), p. 1804. doi: 10.3390/su10061804.