Summary of the research project

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Background

Agriculture currently produces 14 percent (6.1 Pg CO2eq.) of the world’s annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which could increase to 7.9-8.5 Pg CO2eq./year by 2050, as the agricultural sector seeks to meet an expected doubling of food demand. On the other hand, there are opportunities to reduce agricultural GHG emissions or promoting soil carbon sequestration through improved management technologies of agricultural lands and livestock production. The 5-years (FY2010-2014) research project entitled “Development of Mitigation Technologies to Climate Change in the Agriculture Sector” is promoting to accumulate scientific knowledge for mitigating agricultural GHG emissions by a series of process studies, field monitoring, and modeling approaches.

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Objectives

The project aims at:

• Conducting precision measurements of GHG emissions in agricultural lands and livestock waste treatment facilities in order to estimate the emission factors for each source;
• Elucidating the mechanisms involved in GHG emissions and absorption in agricultural lands and livestock production, thereby developing efficient universal and regional technologies to reduce GHG emissions in the agriculture sector;
• Making future predictions with regards to GHG emissions and absorption in Japanese agriculture, based on global warming mitigation scenarios, as well as their potential impact on crop production and the environment.

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Research Themes

[1] Monitoring and modeling in croplands and grasslands for nationwide assessment

• 11110
  Precise measurement of carbon balance and GHG emission/absorption

• 11120
  Development of a carbon-nitrogen integrated cycle model

• 11130
  Nationwide assessment of global warming mitigation potentials

[2] Development of long-term carbon storage technology in bringing about farmland improvement

• 12110
  Development of technology for long-term carbon storage in the subsurface soil layer

[3] Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in agricultural soils

• 13110
  Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in rice paddy fields

• 13120
  Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in upland fields

[4] Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in livestock waste treatment

• 14110
  Precision measurement of GHG emissions in livestock waste treatment

• 14120
  Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in the livestock waste treatment

• 14130
  Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions in animal manure management by feeding strategy and its evaluation from life-cycle perspective

[5] Development of technology to reduce GHG emissions from ruminant livestock

• 15110
  Development of technology to reduce CH4 emissions from the rumen of dairy cows by a feed additive or nutritional management

[6] Development of technologies to reduce GHG emissions through the use of natural energies

• 16110
  Utilization of micro-hydro power generation systems and underground heat exchanges

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Scheme of the Project

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