Nitrogen Footprint of a Food Chain

Abstract

Nutrients such as nitrogen are required to secure food production. However, nitrogen cycles have been disturbed by excess nitrogen intake and low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), which have several environmental impacts. In order to address nitrogen-related issues, the magnitude of the problem and hotspots in the value chain must first be identified. Various methods to quantify nitrogen use, NUE, and nitrogen-related environmental impact potential have been proposed to tackle this challenge. The approaches, methods, and indicators that can be used in assessing particular food systems are presented in this chapter. The methods serve different purposes and present certain differences in terms of scoping and system boundaries. The aim of this chapter is to present currently relevant methods to analyze the nitrogen footprint of a food chain in order to help those tasked with carrying out assessments to choose the method which best meets their needs.