Prof. Peter van Straaten
Profession: Agrogeologist, Environmental Geologist - Professor Emeritus, (since 2007), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada;
President: Van Straaten International Minerals Ltd.; Vice-President: AgroMinerals Africa Ltd.
Profile:
Professor (2001-2007):Teaching undergraduate courses at University of Guelph, Canada: Agrogeology, environmental geology, earth material science; short courses in agrogeology, phosphate geology, agroecosystems management. Supervision of graduate students from Africa, Asia, South America and Canada.
Researcher:Research and development in agrogeology and environmental geology in tropical and subtropical countries. Integrated nutrient management; agromineral research: phosphate rocks, potassium silicate rocks, carbonatites, vermiculites, zeolites, liming materials, small-scale appropriate technology development of local organic and inorganic fertilizer resources.
Over 30 years R&D experience in Africa, S America, SE Asia.
President: Van Straaten International Minerals Ltd, registered in Canada
Vice President, Chief Technical Advisor: Agrominerals Africa Ltd (AMA), registered in Uganda.
Skills:Proven international project management and organization abilities; innovative research abilities; cross-cultural understanding. Training; institutional development; capacity building.
Languages: English (excellent), German (excellent), Dutch (fair), Swahili (working knowledge), French and Portuguese (rudimentary).
Education:
» Dr. rer. nat., Department of Geology, University of Goettingen, Germany, 1974 (grade: ″with distinction″, field work on Precambrian geology in Northwest Uganda;
» ″Diplom″ equiv. to M.Sc., Department of Geology, University of Goettingen, Germany, 1969, field work on Paleozoic sediments and volcanics in the Harz Mountains, Germany;
» ″Vordiplom″ equiv. to B.Sc., Department of Geology, University of Goettingen, Germany, 1966
Awards:
1997: Teaching Excellence Award, Central Students Association, University of Guelph, Canada.
2007: President″s Distinguished Professor Award 2007-2008, University of Guelph, Canada.
2007: President″s Distinguished Professor Award 2007-2008, University of Guelph, Canada.
Professional experience
Professor, Project coordinator (1984-2007): University of Guelph, Canada:Teaching undergraduate/graduate students and research at University of Guelph
Speaker at international and national conferences: 33 presentations in 14 countries.
Project coordinator: for International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supported agrogeology projects in 6 countries in Africa and Asia (1986-2003).
Course presenter: (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018). Presented Agrogeology courses in Porto Alegre, RS, Recife, Pernambuco State, and Goi?nia, Goi?State, Brazil.
Graduate Student advisor: 2013, 2014. Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil.
Consultant (May - December 2011): Carbonatite exploration in Rwanda. Consultancy for Geology and Mines Department, Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, Government of Rwanda.
Consultant (September and November 2010): Manufacture a low-cost phosphate fertilizer pelletizer and develop phosphate-based fertilizer blends in Zambia. Two consultancies for Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Consultant (April 2009):Phosphate pellet production at TOGUNA, Mali Consultancy for Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Consultant (July-August 2009):Liming materials for smallholder farmers in Rwanda. Consultancy for Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Principal collaborator (2008-2012):Environmental gypsum mine restoration project in the Araripe region of Pernambuco, Brazil. CNPq, Kinross - UofGuelph Environmental Fund.
Workshop Director (July 27-August 2, 2008):Enhanced utilization of rock phosphates for agricultural development in Africa, Kigali, Rwanda. International Foundation for Science (IFS).
Workshop Director (June 30- July 4, 2008):Agrogeology - the use of rocks for Brazilian biofuel crops. CETEM, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Workshop Director:International conference on Rocks for Crops: Linkages between research and radio partners. Kampala and Mbale, Uganda, May 22, 2006.
Workshop Director:Integrated soil nutrient management for more sustainable agriculture in Uganda: The use of rocks for crops in soil nutrient replenishment strategies″ Tororo, Uganda, September/October 2006.
Consultant and scientific advisor:Vermiculite research in Eastern Uganda, 2003-2016.
Chairperson:First International Rocks for Crops conference, Brasilia, Brazil, 2004.
Chairperson: Second International Rocks for Crops conference, Nairobi, Kenya, 2007.
Workshop Director: The role of agrogeology in poverty reduction; UNESCO workshop, Kampala, Uganda, Sept. 2002.
Workshop Director: Small Scale Mining and the Environment, Windhoek, Namibia 1997.
Scientific advisor: Environmental demonstration project in Hainan Province, China.
Scientific collaborator : with soil fertility group of the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Kenya: responsible for fertilizer raw material assessment.
Consultant to United Nations Revolving Fund for Natural Resource Exploration: Agromineral resource evaluation in sub-Saharan Africa.
Consultant to the Embassy of The Netherlands in Tanzania: environmental assessment of mercury contamination associated with small scale gold mining in Tanzania.
Committee member on Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) - NGO Project Facility: project assessment, evaluation of program on innovation, and special programs.
Consultant: Indonesia - World Bank supported project: Undergraduate Quality Education in Indonesia: Evaluation of Geophysics Study Program, G. M. University Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
1981-1984Senior Mineral Exploration Geologist: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) stationed in Dodoma/Tanzania: advisory services and mineral exploration for exploration projects in 6 East African countries, advising governments of Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique on national mineral exploration potentials and strategies, economic assessment of gold properties, advisory services to mineral projects in Tanzania and Ethiopia on fertilizer raw materials including rock phosphates, zeolites.
1980Exploration Geologist: Preussag AG, Goslar/Germany, exploration for gold and tin/tungsten in Germany, and Italy.
1975-1979Geochemist (Associate Expert) and Field Geologist (expert: ): United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), stationed in Bukoba/Tanzania.
Projects:
Geochemical and geophysical exploration, evaluation of igneous and sedimentary phosphate rocks, zeolites, and liming materials; projects on innovative rock phosphate processing techniques; fertilizer raw material assessment; research on use of zeolite and vermiculite; environment and health, studies on mercury contamination associated with small-scale gold mining.
Brazil 2013- present:Collaborative agrominerals research: K release from K silicates: pelletizer development; airborne and ground geophysical research (″agrogeophysics″) in Pernambuco State; teaching agrogeology course to graduate students at Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, collaboration with EMBRAPA and CPRM.
Uganda: 2012-16:Development of small scale pelletizer for local organo-mineral fertilizers; airborne and ground geophysical research (″agrogeophysics).
Rwanda: 2011:Geological, geophysical and geochemical exploration for carbonatites in SW Rwanda.
Zambia 2010:Geological and geophysical exploration for phosphate mineralization in the Sinda area, SE Zambia; development of innovative fertilizer blends, based on igneous phosphates, development of low cost appropriate technology pelletizing techniques.
Mali 2010:Field visit and geological appraisal of Tilemsi Phosphate deposit; development of innovative fertilizer blends, based on Tilemsi phosphate rocks, development of low cost appropriate technology pelletizing techniques.
Rwanda: 2008:Short course in agrogeology; 2009, consultancy on liming materials.
Brazil, CETEM, Rio de Janeiro: 2008, short course:«Agrogeology - the use of rocks for Brazilian crops»; 2009: collaboration on the use of alternative rocks and minerals for agriculture; collaboration with the Universidade Federal Rural Pernambuco (UFRPE) in Recife; 2008: agrogeology course; 2008-2009, environmental mine restoration project in the Araripe region of Pernambuco (Gypsum);.
China:Environmental demonstration and capacity building project, 2002-2006.
Uganda:Training and capacity building; short course in agrogeology 2006.
China:Dalian University of Technology; short course in agrogeology, 2005.
Uganda:Mine waste, vermiculite and phosphate rock evaluation project, 2003-2006.
Zimbabwe:Agrogeology project: phosphate rock and cattle manure project, 1993-2002;
Sri Lanka:Phosphate rock project, 1993-1995;
Ethiopia:Agrogeology projects: phosphate rock and rock mulch projects, 1988-93.
Tanzania:Agrogeology projects: phosphate rock research and development projects, 1985-1992.
Tanzania and Zimbabwe:Mercury contamination associated with small scale gold mining projects.
Funding sources:
»International Development Research Centre (IDRC),Canada; Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada; National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Commonwealth of Learning, Canada; DHV, Netherlands; Institute of Mining Research, Zimbabwe; Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandi, Sri Lanka; National Institute of Small Scale Mining (NISM), India; United Nations Revolving Fund for Natural Resource Exploration; WORLD BANK, Washington DC; CETEM, Brazil; EMBRAPA, Brazil, Alliance for the Green Revolution of Africa (AGRA), Nairobi, Kenya.
Professional site visits:
»Africa (Burundi, Cote d′Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe), Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Sri Lanka); Central and South America (Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru), Australia, New Zealand.
Publications:
Books:
»Van Straaten P and Coelho J (editors). Agrogeology of Pernambuco State, Brazil (in preparation).
»van Straaten P and Oram N (editors) 2009: Proceedings of the Second International Rocks for Crops Conference, Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya July 15-20, 2007.
»van Straaten P 2007. Agrogeology - the use of rocks for crops. Enviroquest Ltd. Cambridge, ON, Canada, 440p.
»van Straaten P 2002. Rocks for Crops: Agrominerals of sub-Saharan Africa. ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya, 338 p. Also on-line: http://www.uoguelph.ca/~geology/rocks_for_crops/
»van Straaten P (in preparartion). Rocks: the foundation of soils and vegetation.
Refereed chapters in books:10, including:
»Watson I, van Straaten P, Katz T, and Botha L 2014. Mining and Concentration: What Mining to What Costs and Benefits? In: Scholz RW, Roy AH, Brand FS, Hellums DT, and Ulrich AE (eds.) Sustainable Phosphorus Management: A Global Transdisciplinary Roadmap. Berlin: Springer, pp. 153-183.
van Straaten P 2011:The geological basis of farming in Africa. In: Bationo et al. (eds). Innovations as key to the green revolution in Africa, Springer Science + Business Media BV. pp.31-47.
van Straaten P 2010:Rochas e minerais como fertilizantes alternativos na agricultura: Uma experiencia international (in Portugese). In: Fernandes RC, da Lus AB, and Castilhos ZC (eds.). Agrominerais para o Brasil. Rio de Janeiro CETEM/MCT, 235-264.
van Straaten P 2010:Geodiversity, biodiversity and the origin of crops. In: Martins EdS and Theodoro SH (eds).
Anais I Congresso brasileiro de Rochagem:EMBRAPA Cerrados, Planaltina, DF, Brazil, pp. 13-22.
van Straaten P. 2009:Agrogeology: Geological soils rejuvenation processes and agrominerals resources. In: Sociedade de Brasileira de Ciencia do Solo (Brazilian Soil Science Society), Volume VI:. Topicos em Ci?ia do Solo, Viçoca, Brazil, pp. 319-412.
van Straaten 2006:Los minerals y la agricultura (in Spanish). In: Nielson H and Sarudiansky R (eds.). Minerales para la agricultura en Latinoamerica. CEPS, Universidade Nacional de Sn Martin, Argentina, pp. 21-36.
van Straaten P 1995:Mineral exploration for carbonatite related phosphates in SW Tanzania. In: Blenkinsop, T.G. and P.L. Tromp (eds.) Sub-Saharan Economic Geology. Geol. Soc. Zimbabwe Spec. Publ. 3. Balkema Publishers, Netherlands, pp. 87-102.
van Straaten P 1989:Nature and structural relationships of carbonatites from Southwest and West Tanzania.
Chapter 8 In: Bell K (ed.) Carbonatites:Genesis and Evolution. Unwin Hyman, London, pp. 177-199.
Refereed and non-refereed publications in journals: >45
Selected refereed publications between 2006 and 2021:
2021:van Straaten P. Distribution of agromineral resources in space and time - a global geological perspective Pesc Agropec Brasileira, 56: in press.
2018:Silva YCAB, Nascimento CWA, Biondi CM, van Straaten P, Souza VS, and Ferreira TO. Geochemical signatures and weathering rates in soils derived from different granites in contrasting climatic locations. Act Sci Agron 41:e39708.2019.
2018:Silva YCAB, Nascimento CWA, van Straaten P, Biondi CM, Souza VS, Silva YCAB. Rare earth element geochemistry during weathering of S-type granites from dry to humid climates of Brazil. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 181:938-953.
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