The "Zinc Days" event is a major collaborative effort of the project to contribute to missions and goals of the project. This event represents an important delivery activity of the project. "Zinc Days" event is a useful forum for farmers, agronomists and other end-users, and provides valuable basic information through oral presentations and educational printed materials. "Zinc Days" events cover also talks on iodine, iron and selenium.
Presentations made are generally focused on the following topics:
i) soil and management factors affecting availability and root uptake of zinc
ii) why plants need zinc
iii) soil and foliar zinc fertilizers and application methods
iv) zinc fertilization of selected crops
v) role of zinc-biofortified crops in yield and human nutrition
vi) role of zinc in human nutrition and health
Up to date following 22 "Zinc Days" event has been organized. The number of the participants in those events is also given below:
1) May 10, 2011: Quzhou, Hebei (CHINA) organized by China Agricultıral University (total participants: 235)
2) June 2, 2011: Ludhiana (INDIA) organized by Punjab Agricultural University (total participants: 185)
3) July 27, 2011: Chiang Mai (THAILAND) organized by Chiang Mai University (total participants:160)
4) August 15, 2011: Weinan-Xian (CHINA) organized by Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University (total participants: 285)
5) December 6, 2011: Campinas-SP (BRAZIL) organized by the Instituto Agronomica-Campinas (total participants: 185).
6) March 27, 2012: Faisalabad (PAKISTAN) Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) (total number of participants: approx. 450)
7) June 16, 2012: Mazatlan (MEXICO) organized by CIMMYT(total number of participants: approx 600)
8) November 25, 2012: Rudong-Jiangsu (CHINA) organized by Nanjing Agricultural University and China Agricultural University (total number of participants: 200)
9) March 16, 2012: Lusaka (ZAMBIA) organized by GART and Zambia University (total number of the farmers close to 4000). GART is a big farmer association in Zambia and organizing every year in March a big farmer event to demonstrate on-going demonstrative and research-based trials and activities.
10) February 20, 2013: Bathinda (INDIA) organized by the Punjab Agricultural University (total number of the farmers 60).
11) March 12, 2013: Lahore (PAKISTAN) organized Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (toatal nuber of participants 250)
12) March 21, 2013: Lusaka (ZAMBIA) organized by GART and Zambia University (total number of the farmers close to 4000)
13) May 6, 2013: Anhui (CHINA) organized by China Agricultural University and Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (total number of the participants about 200)
14) July 31, 2013: Hyderabad- ICRISAT (INDIA) organized by ICRISAT (total number of the participants about 300)
15) December 26, 2013: Eskisehir (TURKEY) organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Sabanci University (Total number of participants are about 300, including 110 farmers).
The 3rd Phase of HarvestZinc project continued to organize "Zinc Days" including also presentations on iodine nutrition. The events were named as "Zinc-Iodine Days" events, and following seven "Zinc-Iodine Days" events were organized under the 3rd Phase:
16) March 3, 2015: Ludhiana (INDIA) organized by Punjab Agricultural University (about 500 farmers and agronomists participated)
17) March 16, 2015: Faisalabad (PAKISTAN) organized by Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) (over 250 farmers, agronomists and extension workers participated)
18) May 2, 2016: Chiang Mai (THAILAND) organized by Chiang Mai University (275 farmers, agronomists and students participated)
19) July 20, 2016: Celaya (MEXICO) organized by CIMMYT (around 200 farmers and extension people participated)
20) August 3, 2016: Chongqing (CHINA) organized by Southwest University (around 200 farmers and extension people participated)
21) September 13, 2016: Uberaba (BRAZIL) organized by Federal University of Lavras (around 220 farmers, students and extension people participated)
22) April 20, 2017: Eskisehir (TURKEY) organized by Transitional Zone Agricultural Institute in Eskisehir (around 180 farmers, students and extension people participated)
The first “Zinc Days” event of the 4th phase of the project will be organized in India, Thailand, Pakistan, China and Turkey.
Selected Pictures from Zinc Days
