Scientist calls for policy on management of phosphorous to avoid depletion of the resource
A former Director of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, has underscored the need for a conscious national policy aimed at sustainable management of the country’s phosphorous resource in order to avoid its depletion.
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According to him, the depletion of the nation’s phosphorous stock would have serious implications for agricultural production and food security.
“The element is a non-renewable resource which cannot be manufactured or synthesised in the laboratory. Therefore, securing the long-term availability and accessibility of phosphorous is extremely crucial to Ghana’s agricultural and food security,” he said.
Prof. Owusu-Bennoah said this when he delivered the 2016 annual inaugural lecture organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) on the topic: “Peak phosphorous: What it means for Ghana’s agricultural productivity and food security” in Accra yesterday.
He warned that the global dwindling situation of phosphorus could have a negative impact on the country’s agricultural productivity.
He said phosphorus was a key element in food production but was a non-renewable resource, adding that projections had been made that the resource was expected to dwindle substantially.
Sustainability challenges
Prof Owusu-Bennoah said phosphorous security was emerging as one of the 21st century’s greatest global sustainability challenges, noting that phosphorous had no substitute in food production.
He said recent investigations into phosphorous reserves had indicated that global production of phosphorous fertilisers might peak in 2030.
Way forward
Going forward, Prof Owusu-Bennoah called for improvement in the efficiency of phosphorous fertiliser use, as well as the provision of incentives for the recycling of phosphorous in liquid and solid waste, including urban sewage.
The implementation of those strategies, he said, would hopefully ensure that all Ghanaian farmers had sufficient access to phosphorous to feed the country and ensure ecosystem integrity and farmer livelihoods.
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