An Optimized Crop-livestock System Can Achieve a Safe and Just Planetary Boundary for Phosphorus at the Sub-basin Level in China

Overview

Journal Nat Food

Specialties Environmental Health
Nutritional Sciences

Date 2024 Jun 7

PMID 38849568

Authors

Ling Liu

Zhaohai Bai

Jing Yang

Zengwei Yuan

Fei Lun

Mengru Wang

Maryna Strokal

Carolien Kroeze

Zhenling Cui

Xinping Chen

Lin Ma

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The contribution of crop and livestock production to the exceedance of the planetary boundary for phosphorus (P) in China is still unclear, despite the country's well-known issues with P fertilizer overuse and P-related water pollution. Using coupled models at sub-basin scales we estimate that livestock production increased the consumption of P fertilizer fivefold and exacerbated P losses twofold from 1980 to 2017. At present, China's crop-livestock system is responsible for exceeding what is considered a 'just' threshold for fertilizer P use by 30% (ranging from 17% to 68%) and a 'safe' water quality threshold by 45% (ranging from 31% to 74%) in 25 sub-basins in China. Improving the crop-livestock system will keep all sub-basins within safe water quality and just multigenerational limits for P in 2050.

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