Global food production crucially depends on phosphorus (P). In agricultural and urban landscapes much P is anthropogenic, entering through trade. Here we present a long-term, largescale analysis of the dynamics of P entering and leaving soils and aquatic systems via a combination of trade, fluvial transport, and waste transport. We then report net annual P inputs,
Soil health has gained widespread attention in agronomic and conservation communities due to its many purported benefits, including claims that implementation of core soil health practices (e.g., conservation tillage, cover crops) will improve water quality by curtailing runoff losses of nutrients such as phosphorus (P). However, a review of the existing literature points to wellestablished findings regarding trade-offs in water quality outcomes following the implementation of core soil health practices. In fact, both conservation tillage and cover crops can exacerbate dissolved P losses, undermining other benefits such as reductions in particulate P (sediment-bound P) losses. Soil health management must be pursued in a manner that considers the complex interaction of nutrient cycling processes and produces realistic expectations. Achieving water quality goals through soil health practices will require adaptive management and continued, applied research to support evidence-based farm management decisions.
Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture (DWPA) and its governance has received increased attention as a policy concern across the globe. Mitigation of DWPA is a complex problem that requires a mix of policy instruments and a multi-agency, broad societal response. In this paper, opportunities and barriers for developing co-governance, defined as collaborative societal involvement in the functions of government, and its suitability for mitigation of DWPA are reviewed using seven case studies in Europe (Poland, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands and UK), Australia (Murray-Darling Basin) and North America (State of Minnesota). An analytical framework for assessing opportunities and barriers of co-governance was developed and applied in this review. Results indicated that five key issues constitute both opportunities and barriers, and include: (i) pressure for change; (ii) connected governance structures and allocation of resources and funding; (iii) leadership and establishment of partnerships through capacity building; (iv) use and co-production of knowledge; and (v) time commitment to develop water co-governance.
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