Background

What’s the big deal about phosphorus…

and what has it got to do with global food security?

It’s a matter of balance

P as an essential nutrient

Virtually all known life on earth depends on phosphorus, as it forms the backbone of our DNA. This includes the plants that we grow to eat and to feed livestock.

No phosphorus means no food.

We are completely reliant on the deposits of Phosphate Rock to product chemical fertilizer which in turns enables the Earth’s soil to grow enough food to feed all of us.

P as an environmental contaminant

There can be too much of a good thing, and this is especially true in aquatic ecosystems. Phosphorus from waste water, farming operations, and agricultural run-off flows into our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

In areas where phosphorus accumulates in the water, algae blooms flourish, which can suffocate marine life. These toxic blooms are a serious environmental hazard, and significant efforts are underway to find ways to prevent the flow of phosphorus into water.

P as a non-renewable resource

Phosphorus can be compared to oil, in that it takes a very long time to create deposits.

While these deposits are expected to last at least another one hundred years, they will not last forever, so it is important that we carefully manage and recycle this precious resource so that our grandchildren never have to worry about running out of available phosphorus to grow their food.