SAIN Working Group 1 – Nutrient Management
1st meeting of WG1, held at Nanjing Agricultural University, 16th September 2009.
(Followed by field visits, 17th-19th September 2009)

The meeting was held at Nanjing to facilitate field visits relevant to WG1 activities. The local host was Professor Shen Qirong (Nanjing Agricultural University, NAU). Funding from NAU for food throughout the meeting and for travel, food and overnight accommodation during the field visits is gratefully acknowledged.

1. Opening of WG1 meeting

Professor Shen Qirong (WG1 member and Vice-President of Nanjing Agricultural University) welcomed all participants.

2. Background to SAIN and WG1

1. Background to SAIN: Professor Tong Yanan (SAIN China Secretariat, Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University) and Dr. Lu Yuelai (SAIN UK Secretariat, University of East Anglia)

Professor Tongoutlined the rationale for SAIN (linking science with policy and practice in the area of sustainable agriculture), the factors leading to its formal launch in November 2008 and the first meeting of the Governing Board (GB) in July 2009.

Professor Zhou summarised the priorities for SAIN WG1 as developed through discussions during 2008 and presented to Defra and MOA officials at the Co-chairs meeting in March 2009 and to the GB in July 2009. He also outlined the GB decisions in July 2009 on WG1 proposals for reviews of (1) manure management and (2) phosphate management to minimise transport to surface waters with the resulting eutrophication – see below.
WG1 had also sought advice from the GB on the possibility of work on fertilizer use in Africa in the context of food security. The GB felt that a proposal based solely on investigating fertilizer use was too narrowly focussed and the topic area required further scoping at more strategic level. WG1 members would be invited to attend a trilateral (Africa-Britain-China, ABC) conference on food security scheduled for January 2010. David Powlson had enquired about this with DFID but the date was not yet set. He would enquire again.

1. Improving livelihoods on Shaanxi farms by reducing non-point N pollution through improved nutrient management. David Powlson (Rothamsted Research) and Professor Tong Yanan (Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University)

Professor Powlson summarised findings regarding the over-use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in a project in Shaanxi Province funded under the UK International Sustainable Development Fund (ISDF), initially for 2 years but extended to 3 years with DFID funding. The main partner was Professor Tong Yanan (Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University). Simple experiments had been conducted in collaboration with farmers, comparing crop yields from farmers’ rates of N fertilizer with those from applying a lower rate. Decreases in N fertilizer applications of 30% for winter wheat and 50% for maize led, on average, to no reductions in grain yield. With vegetables in greenhouses cuts in N application of 60% or more produced the same, or even higher, yield as obtained from the farmers very high rate of 850 kgN/ha. Numerous meetings with farmers had been held including a major “farmers day” in June 2009. Further such events were planned. Three communications approaches were being developed in the project:

        (1) Measurement of nitrate in soil in the field using a simple method.

        (3) Economic assessments to show the increased profit from reducing fertilizer N rates.

A major meeting for farmers leaders, Farmer Associations, and extension service staff was being planned at the end of the project in March 2010.

The aim of this project is to estimate the contribution of N fertilizer use (and over-use) in agriculture to total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in China and to communicate this information, and the potential for emissions reductions, to policy makers in China and UK. The main Chinese collaborators are China Agricultural University (CAU) and the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project had started with an international workshop held at China Agricultural University (CAU) in April 2009. Project partners are in the process of estimating GHG emissions from agriculture in China using a range of datasets and approaches. Current estimates range from agriculture contributing between 5 and 18% of total GHG emissions from China. The manufacture and use of N fertilizer accounts for between 50 and 70% of agricultural emissions. Given the scope for decreasing N fertilizer applications rates (by at least 30% overall and considerably more in many situations), with no loss of crop production, there is considerable potential for decreasing GHG emissions from agriculture and significantly contributing to total Chinese emissions cuts.

1. Manure management (David Chadwick, Rothamsted Research, and Shen Qirong, Nanjing Agricultural University

The proposal for a review of manure management practices had been strongly supported by the GB and was currently being finalised by the UK and Chinese partners. David Chadwick outlined the main elements in the proposal which would include a review of the types and quantities of manures produced in several case study regions of China and an inventory of methods of utilization to increase efficiency of nutrient use by crops. It would also include consideration of barriers inhibiting farmers from adopting new approaches. It would cover the utilisation of (1) manure as produced, (2) its conversion to organic fertilizer through composting and (3) digestate from biogas production. Three partners in China would contribute: Professor Shen Qirong (NAU), Profesor Tong Yanan (Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University) and one more to be identified.

The GB felt th]at the proposal on phosphorus management required further scoped to better reflect the policy context and to build on existing work. The GB recommended that a revised version be submitted to the Steering Group in early Autumn. The revised version was now almost complete and would be submitted to the SAIN Steering Group before the end of September 2009.

The following presentations were given: