Back to the databaseThe INMS Nitrogen Measures Database is designed to work in conjunction with the INMS Guidance Document to provide a comprehensive approach to sustainable nitrogen (N) management. This database offers detailed information on the practical implementation, efficiency, costs, risks, and benefits of various N management measures, complementing the principles and strategies outlined in the guidance document.
How to Use the Database with the INMS Guidance Document
The INMS Nitrogen Measures Database allows users to explore N management measures in greater detail, enriching the overview provided by the guidance document. While the guidance document introduces the key principles of integrated sustainable N management and outlines over 150 measures, the database provides deeper insights into each measure’s application.
Target Audience: The database is intended for policymakers, regulators, and advisors. By using the database in parallel with the guidance document, users can formulate well-rounded, sustainable N management strategies.
Complementary Approach: The database enables users to explore measures across the seven key stages of N management, as detailed in the guidance document:
- Cropping systems (Measures C1–C31, see Chapter 3 in the Guidance Document)
- Livestock systems (Measures A1–A37, see Chapter 4 in the Guidance Document)
- Land-use, landscapes, and waterbody management (Measures L1–L14, see Chapter 5 in the Guidance Document)
- Wastewater and organic solid wastes (Measures O1–O22, see Chapter 6 in the Guidance Document)
- Aquaculture (Measures Q1–Q18, see Chapter 7 in the Guidance Document)
- Consumers (Measures S1–S3, see Chapter 8 in the Guidance Document)
- Fuel combustion systems (Measures F1–F28, see Chapter 9 in the Guidance Document)
Key Features of the Database
- Search and Customise Outputs: The database allows users to search for measures by N management stage, implementation criteria, or other parameters, and to customise the search results according to their needs. This feature helps to refine the information relevant to specific contexts or policy goals.
- Bookmark Your Preferred Measures: You can bookmark specific measures of interest for easy access and reference in the future, creating a personalised list of options tailored to your priorities.
- Compare Measures: The database also offers tools to compare various measures based on implementation complexity, cost-effectiveness, associated risks, and environmental benefits.
- Stay Up-to-date: As a continuously updated resource, the database incorporates new and emerging technologies, ensuring users have access to the most up-to-date and peer-reviewed information.
- Cross-reference Guidance: While reading the guidance document, you can use measure codes (e.g., C1, A1) to find corresponding measures in the database and explore them in detail.
By using the INMS Nitrogen Measures Database and the INMS Guidance Document together, you can build an integrated and sustainable approach to nitrogen management that balances environmental, social, and economic factors, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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About the measures
Available measures to improve nitrogen sustainability are listed below. They are grouped into seven (management) stages across the anthropogenic nitrogen cycle: i) cropping systems, ii) livestock systems, iii) landscape management, iv) organic residue management v) societal consumption vi) aquatic resource management and vii) fuel combustion systems.
Agriculture, as the largest consumer and emitter of reactive nitrogen, is identified as the sector where actions for nitrogen sustainability should be focused, however, opportunities to improve nitrogen sustainability are available across all sectors involved in the anthropogenic nitrogen cycle, including energy, transport, industry and residue management. The management of organic wastes/residues (e.g., wastewater and food wastes etc.) presents opportunities for nitrogen recovery and recycling which are not yet fully utilized. Improvements in nitrogen sustainability can also be achieved through changes in land and aquatic resource management, aquaculture and reduction in fossil fuel combustion. Consumers, with the support of broader regulatory and marketing systems, can contribute by lowering their demand for animal products with high nitrogen footprints and by reducing food waste.
An integrated approach to sustainable nitrogen management is required to address the ‘nitrogen challenge’. In this context, when picking ‘measures packages’ it is important to consider all nitrogen forms, sources, and emissions across spatial and temporal scales ii) match any reduction in nitrogen losses with a decrease in nitrogen inputs and/or increased outputs and iii) strive towards a transition to circular nitrogen systems. It is also important to consider local physico-chemical conditions and socioeconomics and to share responsibility among relevant stakeholders. The following resources are provided to help select the ‘measures package’ for your system; The ‘Opportunities for nitrogen mitigation’ INMS guidance document, and more broadly the ‘International Nitrogen Assessment’.
The INMS nitrogen measures database was only possible due to the extensive contributions of our team of over 50 contributing authors:
Authors
Will J Brownlie
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh. UK.
Tariq Aziz
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Mark Sutton
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh. UK.
Aubrey Shenk
Malardalen University, Sweden.
Mari-Karoliina Henriikka Winkler
The University of Washington, US.
Georgina Robinson
The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), UK.
Contributing Authors
Tapan Adhya
KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India.
Barbara Amon
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Potsdam, Germany.
Masood Iqbal Awan
The University of Edinburgh (UK)
Gabriele Borghardt
Federal Environment Agency of Germany, Germany.
Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology/Aarhus University, Denmark.
Shabtai Bittman
EH-SE Environmental Health, Canada.
Albert Bleeker
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands.
Stefano Brandani
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh. UK.
Mihai Constantinescu
Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania, Romania.
Khemraj Dahal
Tribhuvan University Institute of Agricultural and Animal Science, Nepal.
Tommy Dalgaard
Aarhus University, Department of Agroecology, Denmark.
Claire Delon
Laboratoire d'Aérologie Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, France.
Helmut Döhler
European Commissions, LIFE Programme, EU.
Corinne Galy-Lacaux
Laboratoire d'Aérologie Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, France.
Josette Garnier
National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), France.
Karin Groensestein
Wageningen University and Research Centre, Livestock Research, Netherlands.
Mekonnen Hailemariam
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria.
Kentaro Hayashi
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan.
Jon Hiller
The University of Edinburgh, UK.
Shahid Iqbal
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
Lars Stoumann Jensen
University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Tohru Kawamoto
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan.
Nishina Kazuya
National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan.
Natasha Kozlova
INMS Eastern European demo region.
Sergei Lukin
INMS Eastern European demo region.
Trond Lund
N2 Applied, Asker, Norway.
Muhammad Maqsood
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Claudia Marques-dos-Santos
Instituto Superior de Agronomia Tapada da Ajuda, Lisbon, Portugal.
Catherine Mathenge
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna.
Sergey Medinets
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh. UK.
Kiwamu Minamisawa
Tohoku University, Japan.
Tom Misselbrook
Rothamsted Research, UK.
Oene Oenema
Alterra Wageningen University and Research Centre, Netherlands.
Filipe Pacheco
Cornell University, Ithica, US.
Durga Parajuli
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan.
Mizanur Rahman
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh.
Robert R. Reed
Scotland's Rural University College, UK.
Alberto Sanz-Cobeña
Technical University of Madrid, Spain.
Hassan Shiraz
Western Michigan University, US.
Akira Takahashi
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan.
Hisashi Tanaka
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan.
Yoshitaka Uchida
Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Abdul Wakeel
Faisalabad Agricultural University, Pakistan.
Wilfried Winiwarter
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria.
Xioyuan Yan
Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.