Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)
Report, 2000

Växtnäringens flöde genom jordbruk och samhälle: vägar att sluta kretsloppen

Granstedt, Artur

Abstract

Agreements to halve the quantity of nutrients reaching the marine environment by 1995 were made within the Helsinki Commission (base year 1987) and at the North Sea Conference/Paris Commission (base year 1985). This goal has not been achieved. Agriculture has contributed substantially to an increase in nutrient leaching. From 1950 to 1980, the inputs of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the form of inorganic fertilizer increased strongly in relation to their outputs in the form of agriculturally produced foodstuffs such as milk, meat and bread grain in Sweden. After 1980 the surplus of nitrogen remained at the same level. A comparison of the nitrogen surplus in the agricultural system for 1995 with that in 1990 shows that it increased from 86 kg N ha-1 to 89 kg N ha-1. Based on the results of these studies it was concluded that the local and regional specialization of farms is one important reason for the high losses of plant nutrients: One type of farm specializes in crop production based on the use of artificial fertilizers, while the other specializes in animal production with high inputs of purchased fodder and a surplus of plant nutrients in the form of ineffectively utilized manure from the animals. In this publication, examples are presented showing that it is possible to conserve and minimize the losses of nitrogen and other plant nutrients through careful recycling within the agro-ecosystem. However, to achieve high levels of production and recycling efficiency, there needs to be a good balance between the intensity of animal production and crop production hectarage at the local, regional, and national levels

Keywords

Agroekosystem; lantbrukssystem; näringsläckage; näringsbalanser; ekologiskt lantbruk

Published in

Ekologiskt lantbruk (Uppsala. 1992)
2000, number: 29
ISBN: 91-576-5971-0
Publisher: Centrum för uthålligt lantbruk, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/24413