Insights from the 8th Sustainable Phosphorus Summit (SPS8)

Zaja, Erica and Brownlie, Will and Hamisi, Rajabu and Arsic, Maja and Asante, Adelaide and Barraclough, Hilary and Bationo, André and Blackwell, Martin and Cordell, Dana and Elser, James and Fatunbi, Oluwole and Frimpong, Kwame and Gallois, Elise and Gbekor, Enam and Harris-Gilliam, Kailyn and Haygarth, Philip and Hermann, Ludwig and Irvine, Kenneth and Lewis, Issy and Liu, Ning and Logah, Vincent and Majumdar, Kaushik and Manzeke-Kangara, Muneta Grace and Mensah, Eric and Mezeli, Malika and Miyittah, Michael and Muhwezi, Innocent and Otu-Larbi, Frederick and Padi, Richard and Reitzel, Kasper and Robinson, Seth and Tay, Collins and Tetteh, Francis and Tetteh, Louis and Zingore, Shamie and Spears, Bryan (2026) Insights from the 8th Sustainable Phosphorus Summit (SPS8). Research Ideas and Outcomes, 12: e193918. ISSN 2367-7163

Abstract

Phosphorus sustains global food production and is, therefore, of crucial importance to human nutrition and health. However, its mismanagement can lead to water pollution and environmental degradation in addition to low crop yields. In many parts of sub-saharan Africa, phosphorus deficiency constrains agricultural productivity and exacerbates food insecurity. Despite these challenges, phosphorus remains a fragmented topic in global and African policy. To address these issues, the 8 th Sustainable Phosphorus Summit (SPS8) was convened in Africa for the first time. SPS8 took place in Accra, Ghana, between 30 th September and 3 rd October 2025. The Summit was an international collaboration, with co-conveners from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – Ghana, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology West Africa Office, Lancaster University and Rothamsted Research. In this paper, we give a detailed overview of the key messages and insights that emerged from highlight talks, lectures, working groups and field trips. We also discuss and reflect on the challenges of delivering an inclusive summit, from designing solutions to benefit-sharing. SPS8 demonstrates that inclusive, cross-sector knowledge-exchange events are crucial to support and enable phosphorus sustainability on the continent of Africa and globally and to enable the next generation of interdisciplinary phosphorus researchers.