PhD Oral Defense: Urban Phosphorus Sustainability: How Human Diet, Urban Agriculture, and Socioecological Context Influence Phosphorus Management
PhD Oral Defense of Geneviève Metson, Department of Natural Resource Sciences
Sustainable phosphorus (P) management is emerging as a pressing concern at both global and local scales because it is an essential nutrient in agriculture and an important aquatic pollutant. While there has been considerable progress in our understanding of the problems caused by human alteration of the P cycle, there remain critical knowledge gaps that hinder our ability to effectively manage this key element. For example, although we know cities are hotspots of P movement on the landscape because they concentrate P inputs (food) and P outputs (food and sewage waste), we have limited knowledge about how P moves in and through cities and the role cities could play in more sustainable P management. We also do not know how important individual choices, such as diet, are in determining overall demand for P. In this thesis, Geneviève explores the role cities can play in improving P management, through diet and urban agriculture.