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Title: GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF NITROGEN FERTILIZER: THE SCOPE NITROGEN FERTILIZER RAPID ASSESSMENT PROJECT (NFRAP)

Author
item Mosier, Arvin
item SYERS, J - NARESUAN U, THAILAND
item FRENEY, JOHN - CSIRO, AUSTRALIA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2004
Publication Date: 12/12/2004
Citation: Mosier, A.R., Syers, J.K., Freney, J. 2004. Global assessment of nitrogen fertilizer: the scope nitrogen fertilizer rapid assessment project (nfrap). Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nitrogen (N) availability is a key factor in food and fibre production. Providing plant- available N through synthetic fertilizer in the 20th and early 21st century has been a major contributor to the increased production required to feed and clothe the growing human population. To continue to meet the global demands and to minimize environmental problems, significant improvements are needed in the efficiency with which fertilizer N is utilized within production systems. There are still major uncertainties regarding the fate of fertilizer N added to agricultural soils and the potential for reducing emissions to the environment. Enhancing the technical and economic efficiency of fertilizer N is seen to promote a favorable situation for both agricultural production and the environment, and this has provided much of the impetus for a new N Fertilizer project. To address this important issue, a rapid assessment project on N fertilizer (NFRAP) was conducted by the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) during late 2003 and early 2004. This was the first formal project of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI). As part of this assessment, a successful international workshop was held in Kampala, Uganda on 12-16 January, 2004. This workshop brought together scientists from around the world to assess the fate of synthetic fertilizer N in the context of overall N inputs to agricultural systems, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of N use and reducing negative impacts on the environment. Regionalization of the assessment highlighted the problems of too little N for crop production to meet the nutrient requirements of sub-Saharan Africa and the oversupply of N in the major rice-growing areas of China. The results of the assessment will be presented in a book which will be available at the Conference to provide a basis for further discussions on N fertilizer.