Coupling the environmental impacts of reactive nitrogen losses and yield responses of staple crops in China.

Cropland reactive nitrogen losses (Nr) are of the greatest challenges facing sustainable agricultural intensification to meet the increases in food demand. The environmental impacts of Nr losses and their yield responses to the mitigation strategies were not completely evaluated. We assessed the environmental impacts of Nr losses in China and coupled the efficiency of mitigation actions with yield responses.

How much nitrogen does Africa need to feed itself by 2050?

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are very important for global food self-sufficiency (FSS), particularly for Africa, where the N input in agriculture is very low. This is the first work which studies and calculates the amount of N fertilizer that each country in Africa needs to feed itself by 2050. In this study, we used five different scenarios of inorganic fertilizer N (IFN) use and human diets to calculate the amount of N fertilizer needed to achieve FSS in Africa by 2050 and analyze the changes in N budget; N losses and N use efficiency (NUE).