The Fourth Meeting of SAIN Organic Manure Management Project Held in Yangling, China

The fourth meeting of SAIN Organic Manure Management Project was held in Yangling, Shaanxi on 6th July 2011.The meeting was chaired by David Chadwick. David Norse, David Powlson, Lu Yuelai, Chen Qing, Yu Guanghui, Tong Yan’an, Zhou Jianbin and more than 20 people attended the meeting. Seven people made reports and achieved the following important results.

In the past 60 years, especially after 1980 and 1990, livestock production has been greatly developed, but amount of manure production is imbalance in different regions. There are very large amount of manure in vegetable fields and orchards, the main manure types are poultry, pig and cattle, and they are mostly applied as basal fertilizer before seeding or transplanting. Overuse of organic and inorganic fertilizers may lead to the serious environment pollution and influence on crop yield and quality.

Feeding 9 billion people by 2050 will be a major global challenge, effective communication with farmers & policy as important as technical innovations. In “Low Carbon Agriculture” project, China can share experience from UK/Europe and provide information to policy makers.

Food security and environment are responsible by the government, manure treatment and improve the machine of straw returning to the field are also subsided from the government. Basic research should be strengthened, such as how to reasonably use slurry after the biogas ,bio-fertilizer and slow release fertilizer.

There are many barriers preventing farmers from using manure, such as practical, economic, policy, knowledge, attitudinal and so on.

For the current problems, should pay more attention to the following contents: Formulate some concessions, subsidy policies, encourage and guide farmers to make great efforts to develop manure production. Actively guide the development of commercial organic manure. Increase the propaganda of organic manure use. China and UK should enhance cooperation research in the production and use of organic manure.

Before the meeting, the representatives visited the "Modern livestock factory ", "Qinbao Cattle Industry" and the cows farmers, and knew the status and problems in livestock breeding manure treatment in China.