Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) and UN-Habitat will work together for the development of composting facility, with an aim to reuse waste materials and to minimize waste production in resulting to protect environment. 

This was deciding in a meeting between PMAS-AAUR, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad and UN-Habitat, Country Program Manager, Miss Bella Evidente on May 20, 2014. On the occasion, Mr. Touqeer Ahmad team leader of UN-Habitat, Dr. Arshad Nawaz, Director Advanced Studies of PMAS-AAUR, Dean, Directors and senior Official of University were also present.

In the meeting, participants discussed the technical & practical aspects of composting waste using simple technologies. They agreed to provide technical support to the farmers for the set-up of compost heaps using their farm waster to reduce the overuse of chemical fertilizers. They also agreed to conduct compost production courses to create awareness of organic fertilizer to the people and farmers of the region.

Both institutes agreed to update people on the development of innovative composting technologies to enhance the effectiveness, aesthetics and applicability of the composted material to increase acceptability among smallholder farmers. They agreed to increase participants’ knowledge on proper handling of composted organic fertilizer to eliminate any risks associated with their use and identify policy options for promoting innovative composting alternatives use in an integrated soil fertility management approach.

The collaboration will also be helpful to enable the community people to acquire the knowledge and skills on household’s waste management through composting and recycling techniques for organic materials by processing organic waste/household’s waste to compost.

In his remarks Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR said that agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the majority of rural communities in Pakistan and it is not easy to end the use of chemical fertilizers as this directly impacts their output. However, encouraging the use of organic fertilizer, made from composting farm waster like groundnut stock, rice straw, corn husk etc., is a mean to reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizer, he added.

He emphasized that composting has been recognized as a good alternative waste management practice.  He further said it  can prevent the heaping of solid waste piles in  our living environment, thus avoiding groundwater pollution, land contamination, greenhouse gas emission, and many other environmental problems.  In addition, it can be practiced in so many ways that are applicable either at the household or community level.
 

On the occasion, UN-Habitat, Country Program Manager, Miss Bella Evidente presented the establishment of first Integrated Resource Recovery Center (IRRC) located at G-15, Islamabad.   She said that in modern era composting is so useful and much cheaper for us. It not only helps to protect the environment but also no longer need to buy chemical fertilizer. She was of the view that there is an abundance of such farm waste after every harvest. However many farmers either did not know or have forgotten the usefulness of this freely available resource, she added.

Earlier, Dr. Arshad Nawaz Chaudhry presented the collaboration aspects for product optimization, compost development and its quality through periodic testing for the development of composting facility.