Abstract
Experience with implementing agricultural phosphorus (P) strategies highlights successes and uncertainty over outcomes. We examine case studies from the USA, UK, and Sweden under a gradient of voluntary, litigated, and regulatory settings. In the USA, voluntary strategies are complicated by competing objectives between soil conservation and dissolved P mitigation. In litigated watersheds, mandated manure export has not wrought dire consequences on poultry farms, but has adversely affected beef producers who fertilize pastures with manure. In the UK, regulatory and voluntary approaches are improving farmer awareness, but require a comprehensive consideration of P management options to achieve downstream reductions. In Sweden, widespread subsidies sometime hinder serious assessment of program effectiveness. In all cases, absence of local data can undermine recommendations from models and outside experts. Effective action requires iterative application of existing knowledge of P fate and transport, coupled with unabashed description and demonstration of tradeoffs to local stakeholders.
Highlights
The challenges of mitigating diffuse phosphorus (P) pollution are manifold, but no more complex than in the arena of implementing P-based management in agricultural watersheds
It is clear that the science of understanding how P management affects water quality and the implementation of management practices via voluntary and coercive means are mutually dependent
Highly publicized case of Lake Erie, whose resurgent water quality problems point to the vexing nature of P-based management, we review case studies with obvious, and less obvious, sacred cows and sacrificial lambs, highlighting uncertainty, successes, and factors affecting strategic and tactical outcomes
Summary
The challenges of mitigating diffuse phosphorus (P) pollution are manifold, but no more complex than in the arena of implementing P-based management in agricultural watersheds. When traditional conservation programs are insufficient to control diffuse P losses, watershed P problems are often described as novel (e.g., dissolved P loadings via tile drains) or unforeseen (legacy sources of P). In part this marginalization reflects the secondary nature of P as a plant nutrient, when compared with nitrogen (N). Highly publicized case of Lake Erie, whose resurgent water quality problems point to the vexing nature of P-based management, we review case studies with obvious, and less obvious, sacred cows and sacrificial lambs, highlighting uncertainty, successes, and factors affecting strategic and tactical outcomes.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
