Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs
Abstract Intensive agricultural practices have powered green revolutions, helping nations attain self-sufficiency. However, these fertilizer-intensive methods and exploitative trade systems have created unsustainable agricultural systems. To probe the environmental consequences on production hubs, w...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01178-6 |
| _version_ | 1797362822221398016 |
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| author | Shekhar Sharan Goyal Raviraj Dave Rohini Kumar Udit Bhatia |
| author_facet | Shekhar Sharan Goyal Raviraj Dave Rohini Kumar Udit Bhatia |
| author_sort | Shekhar Sharan Goyal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Intensive agricultural practices have powered green revolutions, helping nations attain self-sufficiency. However, these fertilizer-intensive methods and exploitative trade systems have created unsustainable agricultural systems. To probe the environmental consequences on production hubs, we map the fate of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in India’s interstate staple crop trade over the recent decade. The nation’s food bowls, while meeting national food demand, are becoming pollution-rich, sustaining around 50% of the total surplus from trade transfer, accounting for 710 gigagrams of nitrogen per year and 200 gigagrams of phosphorus per year. In combination with water balance analysis, surplus nutrient conversion to a graywater footprint further highlights an aggravated situation in major producer regions facing long-term water deficits. Given India’s role in global food security, identifying the nation’s environmental vulnerability can help in designing appropriate policy interventions for sustainable development. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:12:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-003f829c8bca49148fc5e05db735b5c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T16:12:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-003f829c8bca49148fc5e05db735b5c92024-01-07T12:48:28ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352024-01-015111410.1038/s43247-023-01178-6Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubsShekhar Sharan Goyal0Raviraj Dave1Rohini Kumar2Udit Bhatia3Discipline of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, PalajDiscipline of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, PalajComputational Hydrosystems, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, UFZDiscipline of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, PalajAbstract Intensive agricultural practices have powered green revolutions, helping nations attain self-sufficiency. However, these fertilizer-intensive methods and exploitative trade systems have created unsustainable agricultural systems. To probe the environmental consequences on production hubs, we map the fate of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in India’s interstate staple crop trade over the recent decade. The nation’s food bowls, while meeting national food demand, are becoming pollution-rich, sustaining around 50% of the total surplus from trade transfer, accounting for 710 gigagrams of nitrogen per year and 200 gigagrams of phosphorus per year. In combination with water balance analysis, surplus nutrient conversion to a graywater footprint further highlights an aggravated situation in major producer regions facing long-term water deficits. Given India’s role in global food security, identifying the nation’s environmental vulnerability can help in designing appropriate policy interventions for sustainable development.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01178-6 |
| spellingShingle | Shekhar Sharan Goyal Raviraj Dave Rohini Kumar Udit Bhatia Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| title_full | Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| title_fullStr | Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| title_short | Indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| title_sort | indian interstate trade exacerbates nutrient pollution in food production hubs |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01178-6 |
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