Held International Workshop on Reactive Nitrogen Management South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH)

A day-long ‘International Workshop on Reactive Nitrogen Management’ was held on 22 March 2023 at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur as a part of research and stakeholders’ engagement activities of the South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH). SANH is a research project of eight South Asian countries coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) funded by UK Research and Innovation through Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). The workshop started with a welcome speech from SANH Bangladesh Lead Prof. Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman. Prof. Dr. Mark Sutton, the Hub Director, virtually connected from United Kingdom and delivered his speech on nitrogen challenges and solutions across the globe. The Chief Guest of the workshop, Habibun Nahar, M.P., Hon’ble Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in her speech, said that excessive and ineffective use of N raises the cost of production and brings manifold threats to the environment. She further emphasized the optimization of nitrogen fertilizer application for sustainable crop production and environmental protection. The Special Guest Prof. Tofayel Ahamed, Treasurer, BSMRAU delivered his speech stating that unexploited reactive nitrogen degrades soil health, augments environmental menace, and increases greenhouse gas emission that contributes towards global warming and climate change. Prof. Dr. Md. Giashuddin Miah, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of BSMRAU chaired the workshop, and he added in his speech that the South Asia region is a hotspot of nitrogen pollution. The Chair anticipated that such stakeholders’ engagement activities will find out promising nitrogen management practices that might increase nitrogen use efficiency, while reducing the tradeoffs between crop production and environmental pollution.

A wide range of stakeholders viz., farmers, researchers, academicians, postgraduate students, government officials (crops, fisheries, livestock sectors etc.), civil societies attended the workshop. Scientists from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom presented their research activities in the workshop.