Fertilizer Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Equitable and Sustainable Soil Inputs

Modern industrial agriculture is predicated largely on the production and utilization of chemical fertilizers. Although this approach has played an integral role in increasing food security in many parts of the world, the long‐term sustainability of this resource‐intensive approach is questionable. Efforts to quantify the sustainability implications of various fertilizer sources typically focus on individual elements within the larger issue of sustainability. We argue that a more comprehensive framework, one that accounts for the biophysical, socio‐economic, and political implications of fertilizer production and consumption, is necessary to direct agricultural production towards a more environmentally sustainable and socially equitable trajectory. By incorporating criteria associated with equitable access, environmental production impacts, closed loop fulfilment, and agroecosystem performance into a single framework, we hope to stimulate renewed discussion regarding how to comprehensively assess sustainable fertilizer production and use.