The Pivotal Role of Phosphorus in a Resilient Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

Abstract

We make the case that phosphorus (P) is inextricably linked to an increasingly fragile, interconnected, and interdependent nexus of water, energy, and food security and should be managed accordingly. Although there are many other drivers that influence water, energy, and food security, P plays a unique and underrecognized role within the nexus. The P paradox derives from fundamental challenges in meeting water, energy, and food security for a growing global population. We face simultaneous dilemmas of overcoming scarcity of P to sustain terrestrial food and biofuel production and addressing overabundance of P entering aquatic systems, which impairs water quality and aquatic ecosystems and threatens water security. Historical success in redistributing rock phosphate as fertilizer to enable modern feed and food production systems is a grand societal achievement in overcoming inequality. However, using the United States as the main example, we demonstrate how successes in redistribution of P and reorganization of farming systems have broken local P cycles and have inadvertently created instability that threatens resilience within the nexus. Furthermore, recent expansion of the biofuels sector is placing further pressure on P distribution and availability. Despite these challenges, opportunities exist to intensify and expand food and biofuel production through recycling and better management of land and water resources. Ultimately, a strategic approach to sustainable P management can help address the P paradox, minimize tradeoffs, and catalyze synergies to improve resilience among components of the water, energy, and food security nexus.The Pivotal Role of Phosphorus in a Resilient Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus Helen P. Jarvie,* Andrew N. Sharpley, Don Flaten, Peter J. A. Kleinman, Alan Jenkins, and Tarra SimmonsThe Phosphorus Paradox at the Heart of a Converging Water, Energy, and Food Securities ChallengeThe water-energy-food security nexus-the complex interrelationships and interdependencies between three critical resources that underpin human life and civilization-has been identified as one of the greatest challenges for the global economy and sustainable development (World Economic Forum, 2011;Engel and Schaefer, 2013;Olsson, 2013;Perrone and Hornberger, 2014). To date, the role of phosphorus (P) within this nexus has been overlooked. In this "Environmental Issues" contribution, we make the case that P is inextricably linked to an increasingly fragile nexus of water, energy, and food security (Fig. 1). We provide a first assessment of the pivotal role P plays among the often competing demands of food and biofuel production and in safeguarding water quality and security. Phosphorus is an essential element for food and biofuel crop production, but through water quality impairment, P is also a major threat to water security (Elser, 2012;Heathwaite, 2010;Howden et al., 2013;Whitehead et al., 2013). Within the nexus, ecosystem services provide key pillars of support for water, biofuel energy, and food se...

Distant Views and Local Realities: The Limits of Global Assessments to Restore the Fragmented Phosphorus Cycle

“…Similarly, Richards et al (2002) concluded that years of education and extension activities in the United States resulted in a decrease in nutrient use as fertilizer (17-22%) and manure (34%) in the Lake Erie watershed during the 1980s. However, an even greater decline in fertilizer P use occurred between 2005 and 2008 (33%) when P fertilizers tripled in price (Jarvie et al, 2015).…”

“…Haygarth et al (2014) and Powers et al (2016) used temporal patterns in P accumulation and drawdown in major watersheds of the globe to highlight the role of management legacies in watershed outcomes. Jarvie et al (2015) integrated spatial distributions of P excreted in livestock manure, P contributions to wastewater from the human populations, and inorganic fertilizer used in the United States, illustrating the pivotal role of P in the food-energy-water nexus. All these meta-analyses help uncover disconnects and imbalances in P cycles, revealing weak links and societal inefficiencies in P use within agricultural systems over broad spatial and temporal scales.…”

“…Even so, there are legitimate and increasing concerns about the global efficiencies and sustainability of society's current use of P, with only a small proportion (<20%) of P mined for fertilizer reaching the food that is consumed (Neset and Cordell, 2012). Large-scale P losses from agriculture and urban areas impair water quality, with profound and widespread detrimental impacts on water security, ecosystem sustainability, and human health (Jarvie et al, 2015).…”

Engineering solutions for food-energy-water systems: it is more than engineering

“…These pressures can increase the risk of P loss to surface waters (i.e., affecting water security) and grain prices with competition for food or fuel (i.e., affecting food security) (Robertson et al 2008;Tilman et al 2009). Clearly, P is a key element to the stability and security of the FEW nexus (Jarvie et al 2015).…”

Sustainable strategies towards a phosphorus circular economy

“…This situation is exaggerated by clear imbalances of P use that exist across the globe with too little P used in poor countries, and too much P used in the richer countries, either in the past or currently (MacDonald et al 2011). With a growing population demanding more food, bioenergy and clean water, and in relation to enhanced nitrogen (N) supply to ecosystems and lower water availability, these imbalances in P use will become more critical (Jarvie et al 2015;Peñuelas et al 2013).…”