20 July 2023, UK: A biennial international event focused on one of the essential nutrients for crop production and land management is to be held in Dundee next year (2024).
The International Phosphorus Workshop (IPW10), organised by researchers at The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen with support from Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau, will help experts to share knowledge, discuss research findings, and exchange ideas on various aspects of phosphorus – a nutrient that supports all life on earth.
That includes sharing scientific knowledge of phosphorus processes, environmental impacts and sustainable solutions for its the effective management of this finite resource.
It is the first time the event, which attracts scientists, researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers from around the world, has been held in Scotland.
The event will be held over five days, from 26 August 2024, at the University of Dundee’s Dalhousie venue. About 200 international delegates and an estimated £450,000 in direct economic impact are expected to be generated by IPW10.
IPW10 organiser, Professor Marc Stutter, a senior scientist at The James Hutton Institute, says, “Phosphorus is an essential element for health and agriculture but has complex interacting social and environmental issues. Price fluctuations, volatile access to global reserves and environmental contamination constantly bring phosphorus into focus and challenge its science and management.
“Phosphorus escapes the food system and pollutes rivers as sewage, fertilisers remain desperately needed in some developing countries, yet overapplied in many countries, where phosphorus losses drive freshwater algal blooms.
“This workshop will allow scientists, policy and industry from around the world to discuss environmental phosphorus processes in a catchment context, considering systems of land management, people, soils and waters together.”
