Closing Meeting of the Project for Identification of Nitrate Sensitive Areas and Preparation of Action Plans, General Directorate of Agricultural Reform, General Directorate of Information Technologies, General Directorate of Crop Production, General Directorate of Animal Husbandry, General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, State Hydraulic Works, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, General Directorate of EU and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, It was held in Ankara on 01 September 2022 with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Directorate for EU Affairs, Ankara Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry engineers and experts, Ankara University, Hacettepe University, Ege University, Bursa Uludağ University, Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Çukurova University faculty members, Nature Conservation Center, Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, representatives of farmer unions.
The project, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Agricultural Reform (GDAR) and carried out by TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) in cooperation with many universities across the country, started at the end of 2018 and was completed in June 2022. In the project, Nitrate Sensitive Regions (NSR), which are defined as regions affecting areas that are contaminated in terms of nitrate and/or likely to be contaminated in the near future, were identified, basin-based action plans were prepared in NSRs according to the "Good Agriculture Code of Practice" document and cost-benefit analyzes of the measures to be implemented were carried out.
The meeting started on September 01, 2022 with opening speeches. Opening speeches were made by TÜBİTAK MAM President Advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selma Ayaz, Head of DG TRGM Department of Agricultural Environment and Natural Resources Protection Dr. Ali Kılıç Özbek and DG TRGM Deputy Director General Abdülkadir Karabulut.
The keynote speakers stated that the identification and control of diffuse pollutant sources, which have a great impact on pollution, is extremely important for the protection of water resources and improvement of water quality, and in this context, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is carrying out very important studies to protect our water resources against agricultural pollution.
On the agenda of the meeting, presentations were made on "Control and Management of Agricultural Pollution" by TRGM Working Group Officer Yusuf Gürbüz, "Determination of Nitrate Sensitive Regions" by Dr. Cihangir Aydöner on behalf of the TÜBİTAK MAM Project Team, and "Preparation of Nitrate Action Plans" by Prof. Dr. Levent Başayiğit from Isparta University of Applied Sciences and Prof. Dr. Yusuf Kurucu from Ege University.
It was expressed that the project outputs will contribute to reducing water pollution while increasing agricultural production. The meeting ended with the questions and suggestions of the stakeholders.
