Adding nitrogen and phosphorous to agriculture arable land is a necessity to get a good crop. But excess nutrient use creates well known problems – leakage of nutrients to surrounding waters causing eutrophication. The fact that nutrients are not used efficiently in agriculture is also old news but to what extent and whether or not actions has an effect, are always relevant for the ongoing agriculture debate. 

Presently the policy discussions on agriculture are more intense than for a long time. The Ukrainian war inflicts on prices of mineral fertilisers and other inputs leading to even tougher financial situations for farming. EU Member states as well as large parts of the agriculture community, are asking for abandonment of the EU Green Deal’s Farm to Fork strategy’s goal of reducing mineral fertiliser use. At the same time, the global sustainable development goals and other environmental objectives are far from reached and the negative effects of eutrophic waters are obvious. 

Improved nutrient use efficiency would be good both for eutrophication and for reducing the farming sector’s dependence on inputs such as mineral fertilisers. So, what can research tell us about nutrient use efficiency? What is the situation around the Baltic Sea? Do actions have an effect? Let’s look at what Denmark implemented before 2016 and if it had an effect.

Speakers

Benoît Dessirier, Researcher, Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre

Gitte Blicher-Mathiesen, Senior Advisor, Dep of EcoScience, Aarhus University

Practical information

This webinar is broadcasted on this webpage 11 May 2022, 8:30-9:15 (Local time in Sweden).

No registration is needed.

The webinar will be recorded and can be watched afterwards at this same webpage.

Questions and discussion

We highly welcome the audience to ask questions, in advance or during the webinar. E-mail your question to ostersjocentrum@su.se

Discuss the topic on Twitter, using the hashtag #balticbreakfast

Are you a journalist? Contact us to plan an interview with the experts!

About Baltic Breakfast

Baltic Breakfast is a series of short breakfast seminars/webinars organised by Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre. Their aim is to present the latest knowledge about issues of central importance to the Baltic Sea environment. The webinars are addressed to people in different sectors working for a sustainable development in the Baltic Sea region and everyone interested in environmental issues of the Baltic Sea.

Most Baltic Breakfasts are held in Swedish, but sometimes they are targeted at an international audience and held in English. If you want to get invitations to the upcoming webinars or subscribe to our monthly newsletters, click here.