Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply
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Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply. / Reimer, Marie; Oelofse, Myles; Müller-Stöver, Dorette; Möller, Kurt; Bünemann, Else K.; Bianchi, Silvia; Vetemaa, Airi; Drexler, Dóra; Trugly, Bence; Raskin, Ben; Blogg, Hugh; Rasmussen, Anton; Verrastro, Vincenzo; Magid, Jakob.
In: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 07.2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply
AU - Reimer, Marie
AU - Oelofse, Myles
AU - Müller-Stöver, Dorette
AU - Möller, Kurt
AU - Bünemann, Else K.
AU - Bianchi, Silvia
AU - Vetemaa, Airi
AU - Drexler, Dóra
AU - Trugly, Bence
AU - Raskin, Ben
AU - Blogg, Hugh
AU - Rasmussen, Anton
AU - Verrastro, Vincenzo
AU - Magid, Jakob
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - The European Commission recently set a target of increasing the area of organic agriculture to 25% by 2030. To achieve this, it is imperative to understand current nutrient use patterns and identify sustainable nutrient supply opportunities. To that end, this study assessed the sustainability of the current nutrient origin and supply of 71 arable organic farms in 8 European regions. Deficient nutrient supply was found on 24%, 66%, and 56% of farms for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. On average, we show a moderate surplus for nitrogen (28 kg ha−1), while phosphorus and potassium balances were close to zero (− 1 and 2 kg ha−1, respectively). Large variation between countries and farm types shows a divide between more intensive systems relying on external inputs, and less intensive systems facing nutrient deficits and lower outputs. We show, for the first time, the extent of current use of external input types, where conventional manures supplied 17–26% of external nutrients and inputs from non-agricultural origin supplied 31–41%. A large proportion of nutrient sources within the last group are materials derived from urban wastes. The sustainable expansion of the organic sector will require increased use of locally available recycled fertilizers from urban wastes, and acceptance of such sources by organic farmers is shown to be high, provided they are considered safe.
AB - The European Commission recently set a target of increasing the area of organic agriculture to 25% by 2030. To achieve this, it is imperative to understand current nutrient use patterns and identify sustainable nutrient supply opportunities. To that end, this study assessed the sustainability of the current nutrient origin and supply of 71 arable organic farms in 8 European regions. Deficient nutrient supply was found on 24%, 66%, and 56% of farms for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. On average, we show a moderate surplus for nitrogen (28 kg ha−1), while phosphorus and potassium balances were close to zero (− 1 and 2 kg ha−1, respectively). Large variation between countries and farm types shows a divide between more intensive systems relying on external inputs, and less intensive systems facing nutrient deficits and lower outputs. We show, for the first time, the extent of current use of external input types, where conventional manures supplied 17–26% of external nutrients and inputs from non-agricultural origin supplied 31–41%. A large proportion of nutrient sources within the last group are materials derived from urban wastes. The sustainable expansion of the organic sector will require increased use of locally available recycled fertilizers from urban wastes, and acceptance of such sources by organic farmers is shown to be high, provided they are considered safe.
KW - Contentious inputs
KW - Efficiency
KW - Farming systems
KW - Nutrient demand
KW - Nutrient use
KW - Organic agriculture
KW - Recycling
KW - Sustainable nutrient management
U2 - 10.1007/s10705-023-10297-7
DO - 10.1007/s10705-023-10297-7
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85164930242
JO - Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
JF - Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
SN - 1385-1314
ER -
ID: 360988173