Fertilizer Sacks on a Farm in Mato Grosso, Brazil (IMAGE)
Caption
A new analysis shows that if tropical farming intensifies, there could be a staggering cost: millions of tons of phosphorus "tax" that must be paid to the soil. This study, led by Eric Roy, a scientist at the University of Vermont, indicates that phosphorus-sucking soils, like the ones shown here in Mato Grosso, Brazil, could capture 1 to 4 million metric tons of fertilizer phosphorus each year. This loss is roughly the same amount as is used in all of North America annually: about 2 million metric tons. "Relying on high-input, intensive tropical agriculture to support global food supply carries long-term risks," Roy says.
Credit
Peter D. Richards
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