This collaborative cross-city project identified how food systems, in any country, can cope and transform in response to the emerging global phosphorus challenge. This will ultimately transform cities from being huge polluters and consumers of finite resources, to producers of renewable fertilisers, ensuring our farmers can feed our population and our water is clean for drinking, biodiversity and recreation.
Intensive stakeholder workshops in Sydney (Australia), Blantyre (Malawi), Phoenix (USA) and Hanoi (Vietnam) explored local risks and opportunities associated with global phosphorus scarcity. The nature of each city’s phosphorus vulnerability and how they choose to adapt or transform is dependent on local factors like farmers’ purchasing power, the sensitivity of waterways to nutrient pollution, dependence on phosphate imports and the status of transport and sanitation infrastructure.
Linking phosphorus to existing city priorities including food security and water scarcity, aims to start a dialogue towards the development of desirable scenarios and sustainable phosphorus adaptation strategies. The project engaged diverse stakeholders, including urban planners, water and sanitation service providers, peri-urban farmers, fertiliser retailers, food producers and consumers, solid waste managers and environmental managers.
This project was funded under the Future Earth ‘Transformations to Sustainability’ Program, led by ISF research team together with research partners Arizona State University, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, University of Malawi, and over 90 city stakeholders in Sydney, Blantyre, Phoenix and Hanoi.
Researchers
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Associate Professor and Research Director -
Genevieve Metson
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Associate Professor and Research Director -
Professor and Director, ISF -
Adjunct Associate Professor
Years
- 2015-
Locations
- Malawi
- Australia
- Vietnam
- USA
Funded by
- SIDA (Sweden)
- International Social Science Council, Future Earth
Partners
- National University of Civil Engineering Vietnam
- Arizona State University
- University of Malawi
