By Rose de la Cruz
With most countries in the world actively pushing for nitrogen use in highly degraded soils, the reverse seems to be happening in the country.
The Department of Agriculture seems to just be paying lip service to rejuvenating soils through biofertilizers and natural fertilizer ingredients, which one local company (apparently not close to DA) can adequately supply to local farmers. Instead the DA provided more budget to import biofertilizer from big countries like USA and China and an almost equal funding allotment for the disgraced petrochemical urea fertilizer.
In a recent article, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome noted that the rise in nitrogen fertilizers over the past century has significantly contributed to enhancing agricultural production and bolstering food security and nutrition for an expanding global population.
At the same it warned that improper use of nitrogen can severely damage air, water, and soil quality, resulting in biodiversity loss, and exacerbate climate change.
The FAO recently launched at an event at its headquarters in Rome that provides a comprehensive overview of nitrogen use and the resulting challenges in agrifood systems. It emphasizes the importance of ensuring sustainable use and offers recommendations to achieve this goal.
Nitrogen is an essential component of food constituents, particularly amino acids and proteins required for the growth of plants, animals, and humans.
In some low- and middle-income countries restricted access to fertilizers leads to the depletion of nitrogen, which reduces soil nutrients and leads to soil degradation.
A judicious use of nitrogen in agriculture, therefore, helps prevent soil degradation and nutrient depletion while increasing crop yields. In contrast, excessive use exacerbates global warming, degrades air and water quality, and depletes stratospheric ozone. Nitrogen pollution poses risks to human health by increasing the incidence of respiratory and heart diseases.
Therefore, sustainable nitrogen management that focuses on minimizing external inputs and losses and maximizing recycling is more urgent than ever.
The report came up with the following recommendations to improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency worldwide:
The fertilizer industry should take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the production of mineral nitrogen fertilizer and encourage the minimization of wasteful losses during storage, transport, and land application.
National governments should encourage the widespread use of biological nitrogen fixation (a process in which nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is symbiotically fixed into the tissues of certain plants) in locally appropriate crop rotations using leguminous crops, such as soybean or alfalfa.
Agrifood system policies should encourage the use of organic nitrogen fertilizers to enhance sustainability. They should also promote spatial planning by redistributing livestock, reducing the number of livestock in areas with high geographical concentration, and promoting circular bioeconomy approaches.
National governments should promote the integration of sustainable nitrogen management in nationally appropriate mitigation actions and nationally determined contributions, including targets to reduce nitrous oxide from agrifood systems to keep the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 °C in sight.
National governments should intensify efforts to reduce food waste and loss at all stages of the agrifood system and promote the recycling and treatment of food unsuitable for human consumption as livestock feed.
National governments, the private sector, international financial institutions, and local agricultural banks should integrate sustainable nitrogen management into development projects and programs in agrifood systems. They should also promote investment in high-efficiency, low-emission mineral fertilizers and the recycling of organic residues to improve system efficiency, minimize resource waste, and reduce environmental pollution.
“Sustainable nitrogen management is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, particularly those related to hunger, health, clean water, sustainable production and consumption, climate action, and preserving life on land and underwater,” the report’s authors say.
“Improving nitrogen use efficiency across the agri-food chain and reducing nitrogen loss can help increase food production in low- and middle-income countries by allowing more nitrogen resources to achieve their intended purpose, improve health by reducing harmful emissions, and protect water bodies from pollution.”