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Consumption of artificial fertilisers

Last update of indicator16.01.2024

Indicator definition

The indicator assesses the development of consumption of artificial fertilisers - nitrous (N), phosphorous (P205), and potassic (K20) in kilograms of pure nutrition per hectare of agricultural land.

Units

kg p.n./ha

Metadata

Related policy documents and targets

Principles of the State Land Policy (2001)
The Slovak Government declares that the land of the Slovak Republic is the common wealth of the citizens of the state and the heritage of future generations. It is an essential and non-renewable resource, and it forms an integral part of Earth's ecosystems. It remains a basic environmental, ecological, economic and social potential of Slovakia, and must therefore be carefully protected from damage and unjustified reduction of its area and volume.
 
Strategy of adaptation of SR to the adverse impacts of climate change - update (2018)
Adaptation measures in the native environment:
  • Utilising soil-protecting technologies of farming.
  • Soil-protecting minimising technologies.
  • Organic agricultural systems and application of organic fertilisers.
  • Support of increase of animal production whose deficit is detrimental to organic matter in soil.
  • Application of organic fertilisers in accordance with the law.
  • Support of integrated production and ecological agriculture measures.
  • Methods of the so-called conservation agriculture (leaving of a large amount of plant leftovers on the soil surface or maintaining a permanent plant cover by long-term crops).
Adaptation measures in the domain of agriculture.
  • Eco-friendly growing technologies.
  • Utilisation of resistant strains and utilisation of certified reproductive material.
  • Support of biological protection and integrated production.
  • Support of diversity of crops and securing of sustainable production and implementing of integrated management of pest control.
  • Decreasing of utilisation of chemicals in agriculture.
  • Support of utilisation of old regional varieties (e.g. old fruit tree varieties) locally better adapted in regards to development of landscape elements utilising non-forest tree vegetation.
  • Support of breeding and creating of seeds which will be suitable for changed climatic conditions.
  • Securing of Slovak-bred varieties - support of Slovak breeding and subsequent creating of native varieties adaptable to our climatic conditions (thermophilic and drought resistant) which will guarantee the achievement of more stable harvests.
  • Implementation of integrated methods of pest control in agriculture.

Greener Slovakia - Environmental policy strategy of the Slovak Republic until 2030 (Envirostrategy 2030) (2019)
Goal: 3.1 Promoting more eco-friendly approaches in agriculture.
Priorities:
  • Ecological agricultural production will be covering at least 13.5% of soil by 2030.
  • Especially on large agricultural areas there will be an expectation of thorough crop rotation depending on their requirements for nutrition, irrigation and root zone depth.
  • Crop diversification will prevent soil nutrition loss, its drying, and it will serve as pest control.
  • Traditional local varieties which can better adapt to the local climate conditions will be preserved and protected.
  • A stricter control of sale and use of artificial compounds in agriculture will be implemented.
  • There will be a decrease in the use of pesticides in agriculture and its continual decrease will be ensured. Such decisions will be based on expert analyses which will be consulted with concerned parties.
  • In areas vulnerable to nitrates there will be a stricter control of following of the action programme for the given areas and there will be a support measures for increasing organic matter in soil.
  • In terms of sustainable soil management there will be an increased use of fertilisation of processed and environmentally clean sewage sludge.
 
Vision and Strategy for the Development of Slovakia until 2030 - Long-term Strategy for the Sustainable Development of the Slovak Republic - Slovakia 2030 (2021)
Objective of the Integrated Development Program I.
Population growth and qualitative development, with special emphasis on education, health, culture, the development of civil society and the rule of law, and the conservation and sustainable management and development of natural resources.
I.5 Ensure effective and sustainable management of natural resources
  • Ensure the protection, restoration and improvement of natural resources, including ensuring the stability and health of ecosystems and their services and mainstreaming adaptation and mitigation measures to the adverse effects of climate change into all departmental strategic documents and municipal and regional development documents as an overriding public interest (e.g. in transport planning, energy, spatial planning, water management, agriculture, forestry, sustainable tourism, overall landscape care, etc.).
  • Define the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants into the environment and the avoidance of degradation of strategic natural resources (water, forests and soil) as a public interest.
  • Reduce the acidification of agricultural soils by ameliorative liming or promote basic agrochemical and agrotechnical measures to improve overall soil quality parameters with a view to better utilisation of nutrients from fertilisers.
  • Increase the area of land with organic farming to 16%, an ambitious increase compared to the current long-standing level (10%), thus moving closer to the ambitions set out in the EU strategies.
 
Action plan for the implementation of the Slovak Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2021)
Main objective:
To increase Slovakia's preparedness for the adverse effects of climate change through the implementation of cross-cutting and specific adaptation measures and tasks.
Specific objective 2 - Sustainable agriculture:
Increase the adaptive capacity of agricultural landscape management by applying measures aimed at protecting soil, natural resources and promoting the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes and promoting sustainable crop and livestock production.
Specific measures:
  • Support for soil protection measures
  • Adaptation of crop production to changed climatic conditions
  • Adaptation of livestock production to changed climatic conditions
 
Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027 (2022)
Specific objective 5: Promote sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, land and air, including by reducing dependence on chemicals
 
Program statement of the Government of the Slovak Republic for the period 2023 – 2027 (2023)
In the area of soil protection and agriculture, the government will proceed from the understanding of the agricultural sector as a complex whole, and therefore declares as its basic strategic goal all-round support for the use of its potential in order to significantly increase Slovakia's food security, which consists in ensuring residents' access to high-quality, safe and affordable food while simultaneously strengthening aspects of sustainable, environmentally friendly management of agricultural and forest land.

Key question

Is the amount of industrial fertilizers used in agriculture decreasing?

Key messages

  • With the post-1989 changes in the agricultural sector (land restitution, price increases, reduced intensification, legislative measures), there has been a significant decline in the consumption of fertilisers in agriculture.
  • In the period 1990-2022, the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers decreased by 27.7%, the consumption of phosphoric fertilizers by 80.9% and potassium fertilizers by 86.9%.
  • In 2022, the total consumption of industrial fertilizers amounted to 90.3 kg of pure nutrients (p.n.) per hectare of agricultural land, which was 10.4 kg p.n./ha less than in the previous year. Between 2005 and 2022, the consumption of industrial fertilizers increased by 39.1%.
Change since 2005 Change since 2005 Last year-on-year change
emo_sad emo_neutral Pozitivny trend

There has been an increase in the consumption of fertilisers.

Since 2015, the consumption of industrial fertilizers has recorded a more or less balanced trend.

There was a slight year-on-year decrease in the consumption of industrial fertilizers.

 

Summary assessment

Detailed assessment

Fertilisation is among significant agrotechnical measures, especially during periods of intensification when artificial fertilisers represent one of the forms of nutrition coming into the agrosystem. The nutrition requirements of plants are different from each other and they are also influenced by other factors, such as: the ways of land management, soil type, climatic conditions.
Excessive and wrong application of artificial fertilisers negatively impacts not only soil but also other elements of the environment. There could be a leaching of nutrients from soil into ground waters and surface waters whereby fertilisation with nitrogen threatens drinking water sources with contamination by nitrates.
The conditions of storage and putting into circulation of fertilisers, growing substrates and soil supplement matters for soil treatment as well as utilisation of fertilisers are laid down by the bill  no.136/2000 Z. z. about fertilisers.
 

Contact

Ing. Beata Kročková, SAŽP, beata.krockova@sazp.sk

Related definitions:

A fertiliser is:
1. A matter of organic origin or inorganic origin which contains nutrients for plant and tree nutrition for sustaining or increasing of soil productivity and for positive impact on harvest or quality of production,
2. a soil supplement matter for treatment of soil which, without an effective amount of plant nutrients, impacts the soil biologically, chemically or physically by improving its qualities or increasing the effectiveness and utilisation of nutrients from soil,
3. growing substrate used for rooting and growing of plants; especially peat, earth or their blends,
4. plant supplement matter based on humic substances which, without an effective amount of nutrients, increases the effectiveness and utilisation of nutrients from fertilizers and from soil.


Consumption of artificial fertilisers is the total amount of utilised fertilisers in agricultural business during fiscal year.
 

Methodology:

According to the decree no. 151/2016 Z. z. of the bill about fertilisers no.136/2000 Z. z., which establishes the specifics of agrochemical testing of soil and of storage and use of fertilisers, farmers are required to keep records of utilised fertilisers, agricultural fertilisers, secondary sources of nutrients, composts, compile a balancing comparison of nutrients and supply this data to the control institution - CCTIA via an electronic filing of a form published on their website.


Data sources:

CCTIA


Related indicators: