Agriculture in Mongolia under pressure of agronomic nutrient imbalances and food security demands: A case study of stakeholder participation for future nutrient and water resource management

Abstract

To gain independence from food imports, Mongolia's agricultural system is facing significant changes with respect to land-use intensification and an expansion of arable land. The resulting depletion of nutrient resources was analyzed on the regional scale in a 3-year field study (2010-2012) in the Kharaa River basin in north central Mongolia. With a share of 20%of the national crop yield of wheat, the Kharaa River basin is an important part of the national "breadbasket". The results of soil surface nutrient balance for the agriculturally sown areas in eleven municipalities (sums) showed a significant negative balance for nitrogen and phosphorus (period 2008-2010). The average deficit for nitrogen is approximately -20 kg ha year-1, and for phosphorus, this value is approximately -4 kg ha year-1. The reason for these deficits is that the nutrients, which are primarily lost due to crop harvest, are neither replaced by natural input sources nor by the application of chemical fertilizer. Thus, a nutrient imbalance between rural and urban areas can be confirmed: area-specific nutrient emissions indicate that urban areas are "hot spots", characterized by the accumulation of nutrients, whereas agricultural areas show negative N-balances with a continuously decreasing trend. With respect to future fertilizer demands, the identification of a sustainable land and fertilizer management practices is of high priority in order to achieve the demanded crop yields. To facilitate integration and inclusion of farmer perspectives, we conducted a participatory approach that also included the national and regional government levels. Several options for integrated nutrient-cycling strategies of cities and agricultural production will be presented and discussed.