Meeting the growing global demand for food while reducing agricultural nitrogen pollution is a significant challenge. This study uses spatially-resolved simulations to demonstrate how redistributing nitrogen fertilizer use could maintain current cereal production with a 32% reduction in total global fertilizer use, or increase production by 15% with current levels. This would significantly reduce environmental nitrogen losses, allowing cereal production to remain within environmental boundaries. A more equitable distribution of fertilizer would lessen reliance on current major producing areas, enabling regions like Sub-Saharan Africa to pursue self-sufficiency and mitigating nitrogen pollution in heavily fertilized regions.

Andrew Smerald, David Kraus, Jaber Rahimi, Kathrin Fuchs, Ralf Kiese, Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Clemens Scheer