Non -point Sources Pollution (NPS) and best Management Practices (BMPs)

The detrimental environmental and health effects of NPS pollutants, even at low concentration, are chronic rather than acute. The NPS pollution are of greater environmental concern than point source polluttants because they are ubiquitous and the task of cleanup is costly and nearly impossible to accomplish. Less expensive pollution prevention strategies are preferred that advantageously anticipate and prevent NPS pollution before it occurs and avoid the future need for costly remediation efforts. Therefore, Best Management Practices (BMP) - policies and strategies, are needed to help reducing NPS pollution and thereby ensuring sustainability in food production. For all the reasons above described, the International Commettee of Irrigation and Drainage considered important to encourage the scientific community to give attention on the NPS issue and to bring to the fore the environmental problems involved in the different countries and the BMP. Although this invitation of the commettee to put attention on the theme a very limited number of countries responde to the call. Most of the responde to the themes were from Korea and China including full papers and abstracts (total of 59 contributions) , only one European country submit full papers and it was Italy outside Europe, Iran as well submit a full paper, one abstract submission comes from United State. The absence of responde from the National commettee is not encouranging and we should ask ourselves why this absence of response. I believe that the lack of response from various national committees is not a sign of the absence of NPS problem in their own country, but it is more linked to the current world economic moment in which, as well as other sectors, the scientific community is fighting to get founds.