The Southeastern Anatolia Region Stakeholder Meeting of the "Identification of Nitrate Sensitive Regions and Preparation of Action Plans" Project was held in Şanlıurfa on April 01, 2022 with the participation of Şanlıurfa Governorship, General Directorate of Agricultural Reform experts, farmer unions, chambers of agriculture and private sector representatives.
In the project, which is in cooperation with many universities across the country, TÜBİTAK MAM, Harran University and Çukurova University academicians gave information about the studies carried out and agricultural pollution, nitrate sensitive areas, nitrate action plans.
The meeting started on April 01, 2022 with opening speeches. Opening speeches were made by Mr. Metin Esen, Deputy Governor of Şanlıurfa, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selma Ayaz, TÜBİTAK MAM President Advisor, Dr. Murat Çakmaklı, Şanlıurfa Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, and Dr. Ali Kılıç Özbek, Head of the Department of Agricultural Environment and Natural Resources Protection at GDAR TRGM, TOB.
The opening speakers stated that the identification and control of diffuse pollutants, which have a great impact on pollution, is extremely important for the improvement and protection of the quality of water resources, and that the widespread agricultural and livestock activities in our country increases the necessity of taking these pollutants into account. In this context, it was stated that very important studies are carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to protect our water resources against agricultural pollution.
In the agenda of the meeting, presentations were made on "Control and Management of Agricultural Pollution" by Yusuf Gürbüz, MAF GDAR Working Group Officer, "Determination of Nitrate Sensitive Regions" by Dr. Cihangir Aydöner on behalf of TÜBİTAK MAM Project Team, "Preparation of Nitrate Action Plans and Benefit-Cost Analysis" by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Çullu from Harran University and Prof. Dr. Haydar Şengül from Çukurova University.
The meeting was concluded by taking the questions and suggestions of the stakeholders. Due to the intense nitrate pollution in the region, it was suggested that the actions be implemented in Şanlıurfa province as a priority. The opinion that the outputs of the project will be important in reducing water pollution by increasing agricultural production was expressed and those who contributed were thanked.
The project, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF), General Directorate of Agricultural Reform (GDAR) and implemented by TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM), started in 2018 and will be completed in June 2022. In the project, determination of Nitrate Sensitive Areas, which are defined as areas that are contaminated in terms of nitrate and/or likely to be contaminated in the near future, implementation of region-specific selected measures in these regions according to the "Good Agricultural Practice Code" document given in the annex of the communiqué, and cost-benefit analysis of the measures to be implemented were carried out.
