Phosphorus Crisis

    Farmers are facing many problems relating to phosphorus, one of the key elements in fertilizers. One of the main problems is that much of the phosphorus they use can be washed away into water sources and cause algae to grow which sometimes releases toxic chemicals and kills the wildlife in that watercourses ecosystem. Another of the problems is that at the rate phosphorus is being used there may become a shortage. (Rosen, 2020)states, "Nearly all of the phosphorus that farmers use today—and that we consume in the food we eat—is mined from a few sources of phosphate rock, mainly in the United States, China, and Morocco. By some estimates, those could run out in as little as 50 to 100 years." These are two important things that are happening because they have an impact on the food we eat, both plants and fish, and could leave the future generations with agricultural and environmental struggles.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 16, 2020 at 8:39 AM

    I didn't know farmers used phosphorus as much as the article says they do. Do you think there is a way to make phosphorus not get washed away? If not do you think people could come up with a way to make different fertilizer so we don't use as much of it?

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