Evaluating and Innovating Ammonia Emission Reduction Strategies in Agriculture: Policy and Technological Perspectives

Ammonia emissions from agriculture are a major environmental concern and remain one of the most difficult nitrogen-related challenges facing sustainable food systems. Agriculture is the dominant source of anthropogenic ammonia emissions, primarily from livestock manure, slurry storage and handling, and the application of mineral and organic fertilizers. Once emitted, ammonia affects air quality through the formation of secondary particulate matter and contributes to soil acidification, eutrophication, biodiversity loss, and nitrogen deposition in sensitive ecosystems. These impacts link agricultural nutrient management directly to environmental health, climate co-benefits, and the long-term resilience of agroecosystems. In recent years, regulatory frameworks such as the NEC Directive 2016/2284/EU, along with national measures including Germany’s amended Fertiliser Application Ordinance and TA Luft, have increased pressure to reduce emissions and have stimulated the uptake of mitigation practices. However, the effectiveness of these measures varies considerably across production systems, climatic conditions, and regional management contexts.Despite significant policy attention and technological development, important knowledge gaps remain regarding the real-world performance, scalability, and wider environmental implications of ammonia mitigation strategies. Many available measures, including low-emission manure spreading, covered storage, slurry acidification, urease inhibitors, precision fertilization, livestock dietary adjustments, improved housing systems, real-time control strategies, and information and communications technologies (ICTs) have shown potential under controlled or site-specific conditions. Yet their comparative effectiveness, economic feasibility, adoption barriers, and long-term impacts are still insufficiently understood, especially when assessed across diverse agricultural systems. In addition, ammonia mitigation cannot be considered in isolation: reducing ammonia losses may influence greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient recycling efficiency, soil health, and atmospheric chemistry, creating both trade-offs and synergies. This Research Topic aims to address these gaps by bringing together interdisciplinary research that evaluates current mitigation strategies and explores innovative solutions from both policy and technological perspectives. The collection seeks to strengthen the evidence base for designing practical, science-based, and regionally adaptable approaches to ammonia reduction in agriculture, with particular attention to waste management in agroecosystems, nutrient circularity, and integrated environmental outcomes.This Research Topic welcomes submissions that advance understanding of ammonia emission reduction through experimental, modelling, policy, and systems-based approaches. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following subthemes:• Evaluation of agricultural ammonia mitigation policies, regulations, and implementation frameworks• Effectiveness of manure storage, treatment, and land-application technologies in reducing emissions• Smart farm technologies for manure management and odor reduction in livestock farming practices• Innovations in livestock housing, feeding strategies, and herd management to limit ammonia release• Fertilizer management practices, including enhanced-efficiency products and precision application methods• Field-scale, farm-scale, and landscape-scale measurements of ammonia emissions and mitigation outcomes• Interactions between ammonia emissions, atmospheric chemistry, particulate matter formation, and ecosystem deposition• Trade-offs and synergies between ammonia mitigation, greenhouse gas reduction, soil quality, and nutrient use efficiency• Socio-economic, behavioural, and institutional factors influencing adoption of mitigation practices• Comparative analyses across farming systems, climatic zones, and regulatory contexts• Monitoring, modelling, reporting, and verification tools for ammonia emissions in agricultural systems• Circular nutrient management and the role of agroecosystem waste streams in emission reduction strategiesWe are interested in Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, and Perspective articles that provide scientifically robust and practically relevant insights into advancing ammonia mitigation in sustainable agriculture. Topic editors: Arif Reza, Soomin Shim Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80989/evaluating-and-innovating-ammonia-emission-reduction-strategies-in-agriculture-policy-and-technological-perspectives