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Nitrogen Fertilizer Dependency and Its Contradictions: A Theoretical Exploration of Social‐Ecological Metabolism *
Author(s) -
Mancus Philip
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1526/003601107781170008
Subject(s) - biosphere , agriculture , food security , inefficiency , ecology , population , agricultural productivity , natural resource economics , dependency (uml) , nitrogen cycle , environmental resource management , economics , biology , sociology , nitrogen , engineering , chemistry , demography , microeconomics , systems engineering , organic chemistry
The global agro‐food system relies heavily on inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers. In addition to consuming enormous amounts of energy, this manufactured input contributes to the accumulation of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere and undermines the biological basis of agricultural production itself. While technological inefficiency and population may play a role in the phenomenon of global nitrogen accumulation, the social structural features of industrial agriculture must also be examined. The concept of social‐ecological metabolism provides an important and needed conceptual framework for engaging global food security issues.