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Assessment of Reactive Nitrogen Flows in Bangladesh’s Agriculture Sector

Author

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  • Md. Mizanur Rahman

    (Department of Soil Science, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh)

  • Jatish Chandra Biswas

    (Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, Farmgate, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh)

  • Mark A. Sutton

    (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik EH26 0QB, UK)

  • Julia Drewer

    (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Penicuik EH26 0QB, UK)

  • Tapan Kumar Adhya

    (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar 751024, Odisha, India)

Abstract

To assess the status of and trends in agricultural nitrogen (N) flows and their wider consequences for Bangladesh, in this study, we analyzed data from national and international bodies. The increased rates of N fertilizer applied for increased food production leaves behind a huge amount of unutilized reactive N (Nr). N fertilizer use is the largest in the crop sector, an important sector, where current annual consumption is 1190 Gg. The present combined annual Nr production from crop, fishery, and livestock sectors is ~600 Gg, while emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a potent greenhouse gas, are ~200 Gg. Poor N management results in Nr leaking into the environment, which has increased approximately 16-fold since 1961. One potential consequence is the disruption of ecosystem functioning. The balanced tradeoff between food production and reducing Nr input needs to be achieved. One solution to reducing Nr may be a holistic approach that optimizes N application rates and incorporates waste of one subsector as an input to another applying the principle of the circular economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Md. Mizanur Rahman & Jatish Chandra Biswas & Mark A. Sutton & Julia Drewer & Tapan Kumar Adhya, 2021. "Assessment of Reactive Nitrogen Flows in Bangladesh’s Agriculture Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2021:i:1:p:272-:d:712401
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mark A. Sutton & Oene Oenema & Jan Willem Erisman & Adrian Leip & Hans van Grinsven & Wilfried Winiwarter, 2011. "Too much of a good thing," Nature, Nature, vol. 472(7342), pages 159-161, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Islam, Md Saiful & Rahman, Mohammad Chhiddikur & Haque, Md Enamul & Rahaman, Md Shajedur & Omar, Md Imran & Sarkar, Md A R & Islam, Mohammad A, 2023. "Cultivation of Local Rice Varieties in Bangladesh: Assessing the Farm Level Determinants," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 21(1), pages 46-56.

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