InnoSoilPhos – 2015 until 2021

The rationale for the contributions of the Production Economics Group in InnoSoilPhos is the need to understand farm-fertilization behaviour from a production economics perspective including intensity, mix, technology and sources of nutrients. The objective is to identify potential relationships of overall farm and field intensity, farm-specific fertilization patterns, and the (P-) fertilization reduction potential. To find useful approaches for avoiding luxurious P-fertilization, we will develop a deeper insight into the complex process of decision-making of P fertilization in the farms’ production process. We collect and analyse data on use of p-fertilizers on-farms. We will clarify how fertilizers are applied according to on-farm characteristics (e.g., fertilization technology, quantity, sources, time, managerial ability), how policy affects (P-) fertilization (e.g., the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, the German Fertilizer Ordinance), what role the prices play, how P-fertilization is related to other traits of specific farm (e.g., type, legal form) or field intensity (e.g., other nutrients, chemical pesticide use). We thereby refer to the level/mix of inputs but also the expected environmental effects, and the use of technological innovations. Closing this knowledge gap by analysing a detailed, unique and newly available data set with innovative methods will stimulate the interdisciplinary governance research with focus on P and soil and the delivery of proposals for an improved P governance.

Prof. Dr. Silke Hüttel, Dr. Reinhard Uehleke (Bonn University)
Prof. Dr. Bärbel Gerowitt, Dr. Sabine Andert, Paul Winklhofer (Rostock University)

Universität Rostock
Julius-Kühn-Institut - Bundesforschungsinstitut für Kulturpflanzen
Technische Universität München
Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus
Forschungszentrum Jülich

InnSoilPhos project page

Prof. Dr. Silke Hüttel (s.huettel@ilr.uni-bonn.de)