Global Sustainable Phosphorus Management:A Transdisciplinary Venture

Phosphorus (P) is a key human, animal and plant nutrient and an important ingredient of many nonagricultural products. However, phosphorus is also a critical pollutant and is unequally used and distributed in the world. The Global Transdisciplinary Phosphorus Management (Global TraPs; 2010-2015) project organizes a multi-stakeholder discourse involving key actors at all stages of the supply-demand chain with differing viewpoints, knowledge and concerns to guide and optimize future P use. Focusing on the sustainability of future phosphorus use, Global TraPs will bring together 'practice' (producers, traders, users of phosphorus, sewage-plant operators, recycling companies, public agencies, NGOs etc.) along with those facilitating their efforts (such as policy makers and development organizations) and 'science' (researchers from various disciplines with an interest in phosphorus) to work towards a common aim, expressed in the guiding question of the project: What new knowledge, technologies and policy options are needed to ensure that future phosphorus use is sustainable, improves food security and environmental quality, and provides benefits for the poor?.