Our Phosphorus Future

Posted on 9 Jun 2022
Updated on 9 Jun 2022
2-minute read

ISF contributes to a large-scale international project that seeks to understand the current management of phosphorus across the world in order to make recommendations for how we can sustain the benefits of this precious resource into the future.

An aerial shot of two people swimming in bright green water with algae on the top of it.

As a natural resource, phosphorus presents a unique challenge. Human intervention – particularly agriculture – has disrupted the natural phosphorus cycle. As a result, some parts of the wold have too little phosphorus, which is a threat to food security. At the same time, other parts of the world have too much, which can cause serious environmental issues such as algal blooms and contaminated water supply.

Our Phosphorus Future is a project coordinated and delivered by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) and the University of Edinburgh. The project – a global synthesis of phosphorus management – features contributions from 40 international scientists, including ISF researcher Associate Professor Dr Dana Cordell.

Dr Cordell has contributed her expertise in phosphorus's role in our food system to co-lead chapter three of the Our Phosphorus Future report, 'Transforming food systems: implications for phosphorus'.

The chapter focuses on affordable access to sustainable phosphorus sources and recommends strategies, such as circular phosphorus value chains, land-use planning approaches that support greater phosphorus use efficiency and a reduction in consumption of animal products.

This project is supported by the Natural Environment Research Council, The United Nations Environment Programme, The Global Environment Facility, through the International Nitrogen Management System project and the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform.