Table 3.

Possible key actions to reduce Nr losses to the environment

Sectors	Key actions	Description
Agriculture	Improving N use efficiency in crop production	This includes improving field management practices (including increasing the linkage between livestock and cropland, which can reuse more livestock waste) and genetic options to increase yields per Nr input, thereby minimizing the risk of pollution swapping or tradeoffs
	Improving N use efficiency in animal production	As with crops, this includes management practices and genetic potential, with an emphasis on improving feed conversion efficiency and decreasing maintenance costs to reduce Nr losses per unit of product and the extent of pollution swapping or tradeoffs
	Increasing the fertilizer N equivalence value of animal manure	Increasing fertilizer equivalence values requires conserving the Nr in manure during storage and land application (especially reducing NH3 emissions), while optimizing the rate and time of application to crop requirements
Transport and Industry	Low-emission combustion and energy-efficient systems	These include improved technologies for both stationary combustion sources and vehicles, increasing energy-efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources with less Nr emission
Sewage treatment	Recycling N from wastewater systems	Current efforts at sewage treatment for Nr (especially in Europe) focus on denitrification back to N2. While policies have been relatively successful, this approach consumes the energy used to produce Nr. An ambitious long-term goal should be to recycle Nr from wastewater, utilizing new sewage management technologies
Personal consumption patterns	Energy conservation and alternative transport	Encouraging the use of fuel-efficient cars, limiting long-distance holidays, using alternative transit options, shifting to renewable energy sources, and conserving household energy can together greatly contribute to decreasing NOx emissions
	Lowering the human consumption of animal protein where it is over-consumed	Lowering the fraction of animal products in diets to the recommended level (and shifting consumption to more N-efficient animal products) will decrease Nr emissions with human health co-benefits, where current consumption is over the optimum
	Consumer-level food waste	Consumer-level food waste can be reduced by only purchasing what is needed and consuming all purchased food. Any remaining food waste can be composted to return its nutrients to agricultural production

Refers to "The potential for integrated approaches to manage Nr losses to the environment" section  about the interaction among each key actions