Assessing the effect of soil testing on chemical fertilizer use intensity: An empirical analysis of phosphorus fertilizer demand by Irish dairy farmers

Micha, Evgenia ORCID: 0000-0002-5697-3317, Tsakidiris, Andreas, Ragkos, Athanasios and Buckley, Cathal (2023) Assessing the effect of soil testing on chemical fertilizer use intensity: An empirical analysis of phosphorus fertilizer demand by Irish dairy farmers. Journal of Rural Studies, 97. pp. 186-191. doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.12.018

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Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is considered the second most important nutrient for grass growth following nitrogen (N) and it is applied on grasslands mainly through chemical fertilizers. Irrational use of chemical fertilizers, however, lead to severe and often irreversible environmental degradation, which has, consecutively, an impact on the overall sustainability of the world. Farmers are responsible for the amount of P fertilization on their farm, and despite the efforts to design policies to assist them with precise chemical fertilizer use, chemical P use is still high, particularly on pasture fields where grass needs to be constantly maintained. . In Ireland, where agriculture is majorly pasture based, soil testing is highly recommended, as part of the Irish rural development plans, in order to encourage efficient nutrient management. This study uses an econometric model on data from the Irish national farm survey to examine the examines the relation between soil testing and chemical P fertilization in Irish pasture based farm systems. Results indicate the soil-testing leads to the use lower amounts of chemical fertilizers, which is also correlated with landscape characteristics and farm intensity, indicating the need for targeted management approaches to farm level management decision making.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Pasture farming; Phosphorus; Fertilizer; Soil testing; Tobit model
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S589.75 Agriculture and the environment S Agriculture > SB Plant culture > SB183 Field crops including cereals, forage, grasses, legumes, root crops, sugar plants, textile plants S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Research Priority Areas:	Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User:	Bee Ray-Smallcalder
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2022 11:30
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2023 11:28
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/11966

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