| Description |
This data set contains data on the total consumption of inorganic (or mineral) fertilisers - in tonnes of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) - reported by countries or estimated by Eurostat (data for some MS have been estimated in some cases up to 2018). Nutrients, such as N and P, are absorbed from the soil by plants, for their growth. They mainly come in the form of mineral - inorganic - fertilisers, which are widely used in agriculture to optimise production, and organic fertilisers such as manure. While N and P mineral fertilisers greatly enhance crop production, their excessive use may lead to losses of these nutrients to the environment, contributing to environmental pollution. N and P behave differently in terms of their availability for loss from the agricultural system. N is highly soluble with limited build-up in the soils, and research shows a positive relationship between application rate and nitrate loss from the soil root zone. P losses from land occur due to soil erosion and agricultural run-off. Historic over-fertilisation of P can build up soil P saturation, in which case even negligible new fertiliser inputs may increase pollution. For statistical concepts and definition, see the reference metadata: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/aei_fm_usefert_esms.htm |
| Definition |
Not specified |
| Activity type |
Use of natural resources |
| Outcome type |
Environmental impacts |
| Category |
FertilizerUse |
| Connects to transition domains |
None specified |
| Unit(s) of measurement |
None specified |
| Unit(s) of measurement description |
Tonnes of N and of P |
| SDG Targets |
SDG_2_4, SDG_6_3, SDG_12_2, SDG_12_4, SDG_15_1, SDG_13_2 |
| Transition domain alignment |
Area_1 (Adequate), Area_2 (Strong), Area_3 (Adequate), Area_4 (Strong) |
| Supply chain components |
Primary food production |
| Methodology |
Not specified |