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Restoring nutrient cycles in food systems from a regional perspective

  • 1 September, 2017
  • 30 August, 2023
  • Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
  • prof. dr CJN Buisman
  • dr.ir. J. Weijmaprof.dr. F. Wicherndr.ir. C.E. van Middelaar

Growing global population and improving wealth have put pressure on (food) production to intensify. One way in which intensification is facilitated is the use of inorganic fertilizers. This however has delinked food – and waste production. Delinking input and output can bring nutrient budgets out of balance. The imbalance is associated with regional environmental impacts such as eutrophication of surface water and global problems as global warming. Nutrient management is for a large part regionally organized. Therefore the objective of this study is to apply a MFA on a regional scale to identify and quantify the phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and carbon fluxes and stocks. Understanding of nutrient fluxes will help to define points where intervention has potential to mitigate negative effects of nutrient use inefficiencies. A MFA will be adapted to consider P, N, K and C in a regional system and an innovation inventory will be performed. Lastly, a nutrient footprint methodology will be adapted to determine whether the innovations for the case study Kleve are successful in bringing the nutrient management of the region towards a circular nature.

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Researcher

Bernou van der Wiel

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