Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, Sri Lanka
The majority of poor people are small-scale farmers. The weakness of poor farmers and the growth of low-nutrition crops have been, until now, some of the deterrents of efficient agriculture. Our research facilitates to test out the effectiveness of interventions that aim to overcome the shortcomings of prevailing agricultural practices in NCP and allow them to produce crops free from heavy metals or at least reduce the contaminants in negligible trace amounts. Then farmers undoubtedly get the good market price for their harvest and gradually end their poverty.
Increasing agricultural productivity in the country using their own inputs is essential to reduce hunger and poverty. Achieving food security of the country depends not only the increase food production but also having a self sustaining of agricultural inputs like fertilizers, seeds, labour and machinery etc. This study mainly focused on finding solution for remediating heavy metal contaminated soil and also testing for the organic fertilizers and biofertilizers increase the crop growth and yield, especially on rice farming. Therefore, the findings of the project undoubtedly pave the path for achieving food security, improved nutrition and ultimately sustainable agriculture.
Environmental induced health issues have now become a crisis in many parts of the country – especially, in the farming areas of the NCP. CKDu alone has by now taken the lives of farming community in tens of thousands. Cancer, respiratory illnesses, infertility etc. come on top of CKDu outbreak. In addition to the mounting health cost for the people and the government, deteriorating health of the farming community has significantly reduced the agricultural productivity in the affected areas in the NCP.
This study has focused on finding a lasting solution for soil, water and food contamination in NCP. The cost-effective remediation techniques to be introduced will be a significant contribution for getting rid of the environmental crisis in the area and hence ensure the healthy lives and well- being of the farmers and their families as well as the whole Sri Lankan community.
Soil, water and food contamination with heavy metals and metalloids has now become a severe environmental and health concern in Sri Lanka. This mainly includes hazardous heavy metals and metalloids, Cd (II), As (III), Hg (I) and Pb (II), released into the environment by different anthropogenic activities. These toxic metals acquired through the food chain, threatening even at very low concentrations, make them detrimental to humans and aquatic life. Unlike organic contaminants those metals are not oxidized to carbon dioxide by microbial action and therefore, toxic metal contaminants can be persisted in food, soil and water resources for a longer period of time.
Therefore, in-depth scientific research is essential for the development of feasible and effective methods to remove those contaminants from soil, water and food. Furthermore, the main objective of the study used to assess the present contamination levels of Cd (II), As (III), Hg (I) and Pb (II) in water, soil and food and invent cost effective remediation techniques to neutralize these heavy metals in selected water resources and to reduce the toxic levels of foods by different processing methods.
Around 80% of the community in the NCP engage in agriculture. Therefore, invading environmental problems in to the community which interferes with the agricultural production, will directly affect not only on their economy but also on their culture.
Soil and water contamination issue has affected a lack of trust about the agricultural produce in the NCP with possible contaminations. The situation has created serious marketing issues with the agricultural products such as rice, vegetables, cereals, milk products, fishery products, resulting in deteriorating income and poverty in the farming community. NCP is the main area that produces agricultural products of the country; thus, any heavy metal contamination affects the health of the consumers all over Sri Lanka.
Part of the research project includes the design of electrocoagulation batch reactor and optimization. Based on the types and levels of toxicants in water in selected areas, the batch mode of EC reactor will be designed and developed with appropriate electrode materials, The EC parameters will be optimized in order to improve the heavy metal removal and energy efficiency over the period.
In the scale-up process, the batch mode will be further developed to continuous flow-reactor which will be operated by solar power. Once the reactor is optimized, it will be introduced to the farmer community.
This project mainly planned to achieve soil and water remediation and practicing sustainable agricultural practices to enhance crop harvest. Healthy soil and quality water for irrigation is required to grow crops sustainably. Therefore, this allows the community to produce and consume their staple food and can grow diversified other crops that ensures the sustainable production and consumption.
Organic management of crop nutrition allow plants to withstand the prevailing droughts and other changes of the impacts of climate change. Increasing the biomass of the beneficial microbial community enhance plant growth and the application of biofertilizers mitigate the climate change and its impacts. The some of the methods tested in the research will definitely find solutions to combat the climate change.
In the initial phase of the project, a literature survey and a geological survey has been carried out to identify the present contaminants, soil profile and water distribution. Necessary equipment, such as ICP-MS, microwave digester and other supporting equipment was procured from the budget allocation and such instruments can be widely used in taking measurements in order to secure the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and minimize the biodiversity loss.
We have procured ICP-MS form the research grant that has been extensively used in analysis of heavy metals and values can obtain minute as parts per trillion. Therefore, we will implement testing procedures not only soil, water and food in Sri Lanka, we can improve this facility with the collaboration with global partners.
When producing organic fertilizers, biofertilizers using our inputs, the advance technology we can obtain by revitalizing the global partnerships.
Furthermore, our farmers will find the global market to sell their nutritionally rich, toxic contaminant free harvest and hence develop the gals of sustainability.
