Publisher Correction: Increased food production and reduced water use through optimized crop distribution

Davis, Kyle Frankel; Rulli, Maria Cristina; Seveso, Antonio; D’Odorico, Paolo

doi:10.1038/s41561-017-0021-4

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Agricultural sustainability presents a great worldwide challenge to ensure global food security by increasing yields while safeguarding environmental sustainability. − Reactive nitrogen loss (Nr, e.g ., NO 3 – leaching) in crop production systems already exceeds sustainable N levels in many regions, ,, due to current N management strategies that primarily promote cropping intensification without regard to sustainability . Recent research has introduced the planetary N boundary concept to define a safe operating space for human societies to develop and thrive at regional and global scales. ,− Although promising, planetary N boundaries have been derived on the basis of current N use efficiency (NUE) in cropping systems, and an increase in NUE would allow higher N inputs, which might be crucial for global food security and sustainability .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safeguarding Food Supply and Groundwater Safety for Maize Production in China

Ying

Xue

Yang³

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Quantifying sustainable nitrogen (N) management at the national scale is critical for developing targeted policies and strategies to simultaneously achieve food security and groundwater protection. In this study, we report county-scale optimization scenarios for Chinese maize production and evaluate their outcomes for safeguarding food supply and groundwater safety. First, we performed random forest regression modeling to simulate in situ NO3 – leaching based on a meta-analysis that integrates climate, soil, water, and N balance parameters. The NO3 – leaching was then mapped for 1406 counties based on data compiled from 2.89 million farmer surveys. Average NO3 – leaching during the maize growth season was estimated to be 27.6 kg N ha–1, and 56% of counties had groundwater whose nitrate concentrations exceeded drinking water safety levels during 2005–2014. The top 5% farmers in each county produced not only more grain but also greater NO3 – leaching. Scenario analysis of potential management changes found that when these top producers combined optimal N management practices, national N use in Chinese maize system was reduced by 25%, from 9.1 to 6.9 Mt, while maize production increased by 6.1%. Modeled NO3 – leaching was 0.58 Mt, which was 31% lower than groundwater safety levels and 53% lower than the current leaching amount. This study provides evidence that integrated crop and N management practices implemented at the county level safeguard both maize crop food security and enhance environment sustainability.

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