Dooley, Elizabeth (Hg.) 2016: Closing the Mineral Cycles at Farm Level. Good Practices to Reduce Nutrient Loss in the Weser-Ems Region (Germany).

The regional conference “Closing the mineral cycles at farm level – Good practices to reduce nutrient loss in the Wielkopolskie region” took place on 13 November 2014 at the National Research Institute in Poznań, Poland. It aimed to present the results of the study “Resource efficiency in practice – Closing mineral cycles” commissioned by the DG Environment (European Commission). It focused on the good practices, which were identified as potential ways to reduce the nutrient loss at farm level and to close mineral cycles, based on the current state of nutrient saturation within the Wielkopolskie region.

The regional conference “Closing the mineral cycle at farm level – Good practices to reduce nutrient loss in Southern and Eastern Ireland” took place on 28th October 2014 at the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, Ireland. The aim of the conference was to present the results of the study “Resource efficiency in practice – Closing mineral cycles” commissioned by the DG Environment, European Commission.

Inefficient use of fertilisers leads to the accumulation of nutrients in areas of intense agricultural activities and can cause serious environmental problems in these areas and beyond. Within the project "Resource Efficiency in Practice – Closing Mineral Cycles", the most promising and cost-effective measures at the regional and farm levels were identified to increase the resource efficiency and use of nutrients (N, P, K) and help close mineral cycles, particularly in saturated areas in Europe. The findings have been translated into relevant practical measures for the farming community in these areas.