Nirajan Piya
Nirajan Piya
He/Him/His
BioWRAP Team
Meet Nirajan Piya
Graduate Research Assistant
I am a master’s student in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and come from the capital city of Nepal – Kathmandu. I completed my undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering from Kathmandu University in 2016 and then worked as a Project & EHS Manager for one of the largest agro-based industry in Nepal for more than 5 years. My work has included working closely with the farmers and other stakeholders in planning and implementing various projects pertaining to agricultural mechanization, sustainable agriculture, evaluating new facilities for food processing and worker’s health and safety. Now, I am working in developing, integrating, and testing precision spraying system in the robotics platform as well as designing and testing system for proper spraying of Bio-degradable mulch in agricultural field.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand there are many questions you may have in regards to BioWRAP. Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions that we receive.
The long-term goal is to create a locally-sourced, customizable, spray-on biopolymer-based films to serve as soil cover that can be synchronized to crop growth cycles under differing climatic conditions and applied using precision agricultural equipment. The system would also support socioeconomic resiliency, positive bioeconomic cycles, biotechnology adoption, sustainable crop production, and soil health in EPSCoR states.
Transforming biopolymers into a local material will equitably distribute the costs and benefits of biotechnology adoption by crop producers and support rural workforce development. Creating a protective, but permeable spray-on biopolymer cover will provide physical weed suppression, enable crop producers to reduce herbicide use, protect soil ecosystem diversity, effectively manage field edges, help conserve natural resources, buffer waterways from agrochemical runoff, enhance land productivity, and increase crop production resiliency.
We hypothesize that adoption of BioWRAP technology will vary by region and producer characteristics, climate conditions, soil type, and underlying preferences will lead to differential adoption across regions and cropping systems. Our team plans to assess the potential market for BioWRAP using structured group discussions in locations where producers and purchasers/retailers to gain the most accurate assessment of the market potential of biodegradable biofilm technology.
Initial testing will include corn and soybeans. Application of the product may include autonomous spray platforms as well as field scale commercial sprayers.
