Phosphorus is essential to life, not just farming, but supply is limited and many think the system for it is unsustainable

Phosphate, the most commonly used form of phosphorus,
used as fertilizer or compost enhancer (Shutterstock photo)

Phosphorus is essential to life, but "is a non-renewable resource in high demand, and supply is not abundant," reports Shea Swenson of Ambrook Research. How to make it sustainable? Researchers at North Carolina State University polled a swath of phosphorus stakeholders — including farmers, fertilizer executives, environmentalists, and policymakers — on how sustainable, or not, the current system for managing the resource is, and what could stand to change. . . . As it turns out, they are concerned."

The reserarchers' study found an overall lack of confidence in the "long-term sustainability of existing phosphorus management systems," Swenson reports. About a third of those polled "found the current mining, use, transport, recovery, recycling or disposal of phosphorus and materials containing phosphorus completely unsustainable. One respondent summed up their concerns and said, 'Relying on a mined, non-renewable resource for an essential nutrient for all life, while the excess is lost to landfills and water bodies, is just not sustainable.'"

Lack of recycling is the main reason the current system is unsustainable, the researchers concluded. The system is linear: "On a farm, phosphorus-based fertilizer is used in the field, but much of it is washed away by water. And once it's out of the fields and into the waterways, it's lost," Swenson explains. 

Farmers who use phosphate fertilizers to replenish their soil's phosphorus levels to raise crops like soybeans and corn already face challenges and extra costs to meet their needs, Swenson reports: "For an input that so many farms rely on, the phosphorus market is historically unstable. Not only is the supply finite, the suppliers aren't abundant either. In the U.S., much of the available phosphorus is sold by just one company. . . .[Other]major producers being China and Morocco, meaning its pricing can be impacted by tariffs."

The concern goes beyond those who use phosphorus in farming and other industries. "Because the resource is so crucial to the food system and overall life in general, many research projects are underway," Swenson reports. "Some suggest restoring wildlife populations to revitalize a natural cycle of phosphorus, while others dig into plant genes that could make crops more resilient to phosphorus deficiency." Moe than half of those polled "reported that new, improved, or different regulations are needed, improved management practices and procedures are needed, and new technologies are needed."