1) As Brazil has become one of the world’s major agricultural producers, the use of phosphorus (P) fertilizers has increased significantly. Compared to the early 1960s, current agricultural use of P is about 30 times higher, leading to an accumulation of P in soils over the past decades. Currently, the Brazilian agricultural sector uses about twice as much inorganic P fertiliser per unit of cropland area as the United States. Unfortunately, this trend has had significant consequences, as elevated P levels in water bodies resulting from agricultural practices have been documented throughout the country. As a result, these areas have experienced eutrophication processes and have become highly susceptible to changes in ecosystem metabolism. This problem is particularly acute in the rural areas of the Cerrado and Caatinga.

2) Mexican federal authorities have issued numerous reports highlighting the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) along the Mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem (MC-GoM-LME). These reports have identified agricultural practices in the United States as a significant contributor to environmental eutrophication and the subsequent occurrence of HABs. This is primarily attributed to the increased release of nutrients from chemical fertilisers into water bodies, leading to the proliferation of harmful algae.