Kan Skåne uppnå en cirkulär förvaltning av näringsämnen - En systemanalys över mat- och restströmssystemet i Skåne

Sammanfattning: Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are essential for the survival of humans, animals, and plants. The production and usage of mineral fertilizer has contributed to an over-use of these resources, leakage, and emissions of nutrients. This study aims to simplify and simulate the food system of Scania through a conceptual model. The model maps nutrient flows of N, P and K within the internal food system of Scania as well as connected nutrient flows within the global food system. Moreover, the study investigates the openness of the system, which is the relation between nutrients in organic waste and nutrients in crop yield, as well asthe nutrient self-reliance. The result of the study indicatesthat four out of five million tons crops produced in the region is consumed as food. Moreover, three fourths were exported from Scania. Around 40% N, 16% P and 36% K of the added nutrients ends up in food commodities and the rest largely ends up in manure internally, especially the nutrient K. Around half of the total nutrients in organic residuals are recirculated back to agriculture land. The system openness indicates a decrease of nutrients available in organic residuals in the region. Accordingly, the external system has an increased nutrient availability, which is likely due to the export of crops and thus nutrients from Scania. The self-reliance of the region is low, which also seems to be due to the extensive export of goods. To improve the self-reliance in the internal system, a more extensive recycling of nutrients internally and externally is essential, in combination with recovered nutrients being sent back to the region. This would represent a likewise situation as if all agriculture production would be internalized in the region. Moreover, the model can study future scenarios, for example scenarios with changed populations and diets.