RCN-SEES: Coordinating Phosphorus Research to Create a Sustainable Food System

指导委员会：亚利桑那州立大学的James Elser、Rimjhim Aggarwal和Helen Rowe；Tauhidur Rahman，亚利桑那大学；斯蒂芬斯理工学院David Vaccari；美国能源部anitstreet；Robert Mikkelsen，国际植物营养研究所知识分子优点：磷(P)是生命的基本元素，除了少数例外，也是农业高产的必要肥料。由于P无法制造，全球供应有限，这种化学元素对可持续性构成了独特的双重威胁。在发展中国家，磷的缺乏导致了高价格和贫穷农民的贫困，但在工业化国家，来自农场和城市废物流的过量磷会降低下游的水质。围绕可持续性的问题非常复杂，涉及多种地质、生物地球化学、经济和地缘政治层面，目前尚未得到巩固。由于营养流失造成的环境退化和对全球粮食安全的潜在威胁迫切要求结束这种不连贯的磷处理方法。磷可持续性研究协调网络（RCN）的目标是激发关于磷的数据、观点和理解的跨学科综合，以确定和实施磷可持续性的解决方案。RCN的主题、目标和最初的议题建立在最近由James Elser和他的同事Dan Childers领导的可持续发展峰会（SPS）上就关键的可持续发展挑战达成的广泛共识之上。RCN将包括以三个挑战领域为中心的两个阶段。第一阶段小组将面临两个挑战：(1)提高粮食生产的磷效率；(2)开发稳健的磷回收途径。在启动研讨会上，确定的核心成员将围绕这些挑战领域建立工作组。这些小组将通过广泛宣传的申请程序招募更多的普通会员，这将使我们能够针对合格的研究生、博士后和代表性不足的群体的成员。在第三年，一个综合工作坊将报告第一阶段的科学和解决方案成果，并建立新的第二阶段工作组，重点关注挑战3：整合效率和回收，创造一个可持续的粮食系统。将在五年级早期举行总结研讨会，报告第二阶段的科学和解决方案成果，并推动最终成果的确定。更广泛的影响：P可持续发展RCN的核心将是招募不同职业、级别、性别、种族、民族和国籍的参与者组成一个多样化的网络。指导委员会将反映这种多样性，其中包括三名当然身份的学生，为他们提供领导、网络、合作科学和政策方面的宝贵经验。为了传达RCN工作的关键方面，我们将制作两个动态的高质量视频，以达到农民，教育工作者，肥料行业和政策制定者的目标受众。三次RCN研讨会将在华盛顿特区举行，旨在促进政策制定者、政府官员、农业和化肥行业代表以及城市规划者的参与，为RCN制定研究重点，展示成果并规划实施可持续发展解决方案。

Steering Committee: James Elser, Rimjhim Aggarwal, and Helen Rowe at Arizona State University;Tauhidur Rahman, University of Arizona; David Vaccari, Stephens Institute of Technology; AnitaStreet, US Department of Energy; Robert Mikkelsen, International Plant Nutrition InstituteIntellectual Merit: Phosphorus (P) is an essential element to life and, with few exceptions, a necessaryfertilizer for high agricultural yield. Because P cannot be manufactured and global supply is limited,this chemical element poses a unique, double-sided threat to sustainability. P scarcity leads tohigh prices and poverty for poor farmers in developing countries, but in industrialized nations, excessP from farms and in urban waste streams degrades downstream water quality. The issues surroundingP sustainability are deeply complex and involve diverse geological, biogeochemical, economic, andgeopolitical dimensions that are currently unconsolidated. Environmental degradation due to nutrientrunoff and potential threats to global food security urgently call for an end to this disjointed approachto phosphorus. The goal of the P Sustainability Research Coordination Network (RCN) is to spark aninterdisciplinary synthesis of data, perspectives, and understanding about phosphorus to identify andimplement solutions for P sustainability.The RCN theme, objectives, and initial topics build upon broad agreement on key P sustainabilitychallenges reached at a recent Sustainable P Summit (SPS) led by James Elser and colleague Dan Childers.The RCN will involve two phases centered on three Challenge Areas. Phase I groups will workon two Challenges: (1) Improving P efficiency in food production; (2) Developing robust pathwaysof P recycling. At the Kick-off Workshop, identified Core Members will develop Working Groupscentered around these challenge areas. These Groups will be further populated with At-Large Membersrecruited through a widely advertised application process that will allow us to target qualifiedgraduate students, postdocs, and members of under-represented groups. In Year 3, a Synthesis Workshopwill report on the science and solution outcomes from Phase I and develop new Phase II WorkingGroups focused on Challenge 3: Integrating efficiency and recycling to create a sustainable food system.A Wrap-up Workshop, held early in Year 5, will be held to report on science and solution outcomesfrom Phase II and provide the push to finalize outcomes.Broader Impacts: Central to the P Sustainability RCN will be recruitment of a diverse network ofparticipants of different professions, ranks, genders, races, ethnicities, and nationalities. The SteeringCommittee will reflect this diversity, including three students in ex officio capacity, giving them invaluableexperience in leadership, networking, collaborative science, and policy. To communicate keyaspects of RCN work, we will produce two dynamic, high-quality videos to reach targeted audiences offarmers, educators, fertilizer industry, and policy makers. The three RCN Workshops will be held inWashington DC in order to facilitate participation by policy makers, government officials, representativesof agriculture and the fertilizer industry, and urban planners with the aim of developing research prioritiesfor the RCN, presenting outcomes and planning implementation of sustainability solutions.