Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply

dc.contributor.authorReimer, Marie
dc.contributor.authorOelofse, Myles
dc.contributor.authorMüller-Stöver, Dorette
dc.contributor.authorMöller, Kurt
dc.contributor.authorBünemann, Else K.
dc.contributor.authorBianchi, Silvia
dc.contributor.authorVetemaa, Airi
dc.contributor.authorDrexler, Dóra
dc.contributor.authorTrugly, Bence
dc.contributor.authorRaskin, Ben
dc.contributor.authorBlogg, Hugh
dc.contributor.authorRasmussen, Anton
dc.contributor.authorVerrastro, Vincenzo
dc.contributor.authorMagid, Jakob
dc.contributor.corporateReimer, Marie; Institute of Crop Science, Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 20, 77593, Stuttgart, Germany
dc.contributor.corporateOelofse, Myles; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
dc.contributor.corporateMüller-Stöver, Dorette; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
dc.contributor.corporateMöller, Kurt; Institute of Crop Science, Fertilization and Soil Matter Dynamics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 20, 77593, Stuttgart, Germany
dc.contributor.corporateBünemann, Else K.; Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Box 219, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
dc.contributor.corporateBianchi, Silvia; Department of Soil Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Box 219, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
dc.contributor.corporateVetemaa, Airi; Estonian Organic Farming Foundation (EOFF), Kungla 1a, 50403, Tartu, Estonia
dc.contributor.corporateDrexler, Dóra; Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Miklós Tér 1, 1033, Budapest, Hungary
dc.contributor.corporateTrugly, Bence; Hungarian Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Miklós Tér 1, 1033, Budapest, Hungary
dc.contributor.corporateRaskin, Ben; Soil Association, Spear House, 51 Victoria Street, BS1 6AD, Bristol, UK
dc.contributor.corporateBlogg, Hugh; Soil Association, Spear House, 51 Victoria Street, BS1 6AD, Bristol, UK
dc.contributor.corporateRasmussen, Anton; Innovation Centre for Organic Farming, Agro Food Park 26, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
dc.contributor.corporateVerrastro, Vincenzo; Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, Valenzano (IAM-B), Italy
dc.contributor.corporateMagid, Jakob; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg, Denmark
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-30T09:27:39Z
dc.date.available2025-07-30T09:27:39Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.date.updated2025-06-18T10:05:43Z
dc.description.abstractThe European Commission recently set a target of increasing the area of organic agriculture to 25% by 2030. To achieve this, it is imperative to understand current nutrient use patterns and identify sustainable nutrient supply opportunities. To that end, this study assessed the sustainability of the current nutrient origin and supply of 71 arable organic farms in 8 European regions. Deficient nutrient supply was found on 24%, 66%, and 56% of farms for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. On average, we show a moderate surplus for nitrogen (28 kg ha −1 ), while phosphorus and potassium balances were close to zero (− 1 and 2 kg ha −1 , respectively). Large variation between countries and farm types shows a divide between more intensive systems relying on external inputs, and less intensive systems facing nutrient deficits and lower outputs. We show, for the first time, the extent of current use of external input types, where conventional manures supplied 17–26% of external nutrients and inputs from non-agricultural origin supplied 31–41%. A large proportion of nutrient sources within the last group are materials derived from urban wastes. The sustainable expansion of the organic sector will require increased use of locally available recycled fertilizers from urban wastes, and acceptance of such sources by organic farmers is shown to be high, provided they are considered safe.en
dc.description.sponsorshipOpen access funding provided by Royal Danish Library, Aarhus University Library
dc.description.sponsorshipHorizon 2020 Framework Programmehttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010661
dc.description.sponsorshipRoyal Danish Library, Aarhus University Library
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10297-7
dc.identifier.urihttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/17798
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rights.licensecc_by
dc.subjectOrganic agriculture
dc.subjectSustainable nutrient management
dc.subjectFarming systems
dc.subjectNutrient use
dc.subjectContentious inputs
dc.subjectNutrient demand
dc.subjectRecycling
dc.subjectEfficiency
dc.subject.ddc630
dc.titleSustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supplyen
dc.type.diniArticle
dcterms.bibliographicCitationNutrient cycling in agroecosystems, 129 (2024), 299-315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10297-7. ISSN: 1573-0867 Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issn1573-0867
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleNutrient cycling in agroecosystems
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameSpringer Netherlands
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceDordrecht
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pageend315
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pagestart299
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume129
local.export.bibtex@article{Reimer2024, doi = {10.1007/s10705-023-10297-7}, author = {Reimer, Marie and Oelofse, Myles and Müller-Stöver, Dorette et al.}, title = {Sustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply}, journal = {Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems}, year = {2024}, volume = {129}, pages = {299--315}, }
local.title.fullSustainable growth of organic farming in the EU requires a rethink of nutrient supply

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
10705_2023_Article_10297.pdf
Size:
3.06 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
10705_2023_10297_MOESM1_ESM.docx
Size:
1.91 MB
Format:
Microsoft Word XML

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
7.85 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description: