Credit: Peter D. Richards
A new analysis shows that if tropical farming intensifies, there could be a staggering cost: millions of tons of phosphorus “tax” that must be paid to the soil. This study, led Eric Roy, a scientist at the University of Vermont, indicates that phosphorus-sucking soils, like the ones shown here in Mato Grosso, Brazil, could capture 1 to 4 million metric tons of fertilizer phosphorus each year. This is roughly the same amount as is used in all of North America annually: about 2 million metric tons. “Relying on high-input, intensive tropical agriculture to support global food supply carries long-term risks,” Roy says.