Nutrient management planning: Justification, theory, practice

Traditionally, nutrient management has been concerned with optimizing the e conomic return from nutrients used for crop production. Today, the agronomi c and economic requirements of nutrient management remain central, but in a ddition, the process must consider the potential impact of these nutrients on environmental quality, The nutrient-management process is critical for m aximizing the economic benefit from nutrients while minimizing the environm ental impact. This process includes assessment, analysis, decision making, evaluation and refinement. A tactical nutrient-management plan developed fr om this process must be based on a firm set of strategic objectives agreed upon by the farmers and society. The nutrient-management process must also be practical to implement, if the performance goals are to be met, While nu trient-management plans have resulted in benefits to farmers and society, i mplementation has not been as great as desired. Several factors have been i dentified as key to the successful implementation of nutrient-management pl anning: the full participation of a broad range of stakeholders, the use of established infrastructure, targeted nutrient-management planning efforts, voluntary vs. mandatory programs, and the economics of nutrient management , Experiences in Pennsylvania, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Irelan d illustrate aspects of the implementation of the nutrient management proce ss.