Optimizing nitrogen management in the food system for sustainable development: a case study of Quzhou County

doi:10.15302/J-FASE-2024540

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

2024, Vol. 11

Issue (1) : 113-121 https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2024540

Optimizing nitrogen management in the food system for sustainable development: a case study of Quzhou County

Fanlei MENG^1,², Menru WANG^2,³, Yong HOU¹, Lin MA⁴, Wenqi MA⁵, Xuejun LIU¹, Fusuo ZHANG¹, Wen XU¹(

)

¹. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development (Quzhou, Hebei), China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
². Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
³. Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
⁴. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
⁵. College of Resources and Environment Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China

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Abstract

● The framework of multi-objective nitrogen (N) management was developed.

● Multi-objective targets were established to support agriculture sustainable production.

● A food chain approach was developed to accurately quantify N flow in food system.

● “3R” principle was used in developing N management strategy.

● The collaboration with different stakeholders is crucial for promoting technologies.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for food production. The rapid increase in population requires high inputs of N to meet the growing food demand. If not managed well, the substantial loss of N from the food system has multiple impacts on grain yield, air and water pollution, and the economic benefits of agricultural. Multi-objective (food security, environmental sustainability and economic sustainability) synergistic consideration of N management in the food system is still lacking. This study employed strategies for optimizing N management in the food system, using Quzhou County as a typical example on the North China Plain. Firstly, a food chain approach was adopted to understand drivers and reasons behind N losses from the food system. Secondly, a top-down approach was used to define multi-objective N management, taking into consideration food security, environmental sustainability and economic sustainability. Multi-objective N management aims to reduce N losses to the environment and increase N use efficiencies, while simultaneously increasing yields and economic benefits. Thirdly, 3R (reduce-retain-recycle) N management strategies were identified for specific crops and animals through a bottom-up approach and then analyzed the potential of these strategies to achieve the multi-objectives. Finally, there is a discussion of how to engage different stakeholders to promote the technologies implementation. This study provides new insights into the synergistic achievement of multi-objective N management in the food system and the development of environmentally-friendly agriculture.

Keywords Agriculture green development food system multi-objective nitrogen management

Corresponding Author(s): Wen XU

Just Accepted Date: 23 January 2024 Online First Date: 07 February 2024 Issue Date: 08 March 2024

Cite this article:

Fanlei MENG,Menru WANG,Yong HOU, et al. Optimizing nitrogen management in the food system for sustainable development: a case study of Quzhou County[J]. Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. , 2024, 11(1): 113-121.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.15302/J-FASE-2024540
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/Y2024/V11/I1/113

Fig.1 Integrated assessment framework for evaluating N losses and improvement of N management in the food system in Quzhou, North China Plain. The whole food chain assessment by NUFER (NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resource use) model^[⁵^].

Fig.2 N losses (kt) to environment (a), from crop production (b), and animal production (c) in Quzhou in 2020. The total N losses included ammonia, nitrous oxide, leaching, runoff and erosion, and direct discharge of manure (discharge).

Tab.1 The effective options for multi-objective N management in the food system in Quzhou

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