Why is phosphorus important?
without phosphorus, we cannot produce food
About the project
RePhoKUs (The Role of Phosphorus in the Resilience and Sustainability of the UK Food System) aims to re-focus phosphorus use in the UK food system in order to achieve sustainable phosphorus use and deliver valued ecosystem services such as clean water and biodiversity. The UK has no domestic source of phosphorus and is reliant on imports for fertilisers, feeds and foods. UK agriculture is therefore vulnerable to future global shortages of phosphorus and fluctuating import prices. Phosphorus leakage from land to water also causes widespread and costly pollution (worth £39.5 billion), which is likely to become worse as imports increase in line with higher demand for food and if inefficiencies are not addressed. This project will undertake the first ever phosphorus vulnerability assessment of the UK’s food system, bringing together experts in catchment science, adaptive capacity and food system vulnerability.
Aim: to identify variations in the reslience of local agricultural and water catchments in response to phosphorus runoff into water sources
Aim: to address the capacity of farmers and other stakeholders to adapt to risks, such as implementing phosphorus re-use and recycling options
Aim: to undertake a phosphorus vulnerability assessment of the UK's food system to co-design a national adaptation strategy together with national stakeholders
The researchers
