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Food production and consumption in Germany: N flows and N emissions

Food production and consumption in Germany: N flows and N emissions During the past four decades the authors perceive that an increasing non-sustainability (Disintegration) within the agriculture , human nutrition, waste management complex has occurred both in Germany and the European Union. Compared to the basic needs of the population for nutritive energy, fat and protein, we estimate that the production and consumption of food and feed is more than 50% higher than necessary. Using nitrogen (N) input into German agriculture in 1991/92 as an example, we estimated that the N input of 191 kg ha-1 was 2 to 3 times too high. This high N input resulted in the net biomass production of 45 kg ha-1, a 25% efficiency. This inefficiency causes emissions of reactive N and other nutrient compounds into the hydrosphere and atmosphere that were 2 to 8 times too high. For example the contributions of agriculture to the total annual N2O–N emissions of Germany (during 1990–1992), Europe (1990) and of the world (1989) were 110, 691 Gg and 6.7 Tg or 52, 62 and 41%, respectively. The authors demonstrate that emissions of N and P from Germany and EU waste water management systems are also higher than necessary because nutrient recycling is not practiced extensively. Excessive food production and consumption has made the agriculture/human nutrition/waste and waste water complex, like the energy/transportation complex, a main cause of new transboundary environmental damage such as soil and water acidification, hypertrophication of near-natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and climate change. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Springer Journals

Food production and consumption in Germany: N flows and N emissions

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References (46)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Subject
Environment; Soil Science & Conservation
ISSN
1385-1314
eISSN
1573-0867
DOI
10.1023/A:1009706001900
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

During the past four decades the authors perceive that an increasing non-sustainability (Disintegration) within the agriculture , human nutrition, waste management complex has occurred both in Germany and the European Union. Compared to the basic needs of the population for nutritive energy, fat and protein, we estimate that the production and consumption of food and feed is more than 50% higher than necessary. Using nitrogen (N) input into German agriculture in 1991/92 as an example, we estimated that the N input of 191 kg ha-1 was 2 to 3 times too high. This high N input resulted in the net biomass production of 45 kg ha-1, a 25% efficiency. This inefficiency causes emissions of reactive N and other nutrient compounds into the hydrosphere and atmosphere that were 2 to 8 times too high. For example the contributions of agriculture to the total annual N2O–N emissions of Germany (during 1990–1992), Europe (1990) and of the world (1989) were 110, 691 Gg and 6.7 Tg or 52, 62 and 41%, respectively. The authors demonstrate that emissions of N and P from Germany and EU waste water management systems are also higher than necessary because nutrient recycling is not practiced extensively. Excessive food production and consumption has made the agriculture/human nutrition/waste and waste water complex, like the energy/transportation complex, a main cause of new transboundary environmental damage such as soil and water acidification, hypertrophication of near-natural terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and climate change.

Journal

Nutrient Cycling in AgroecosystemsSpringer Journals

Published: Oct 14, 2004

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