Centralization of dairy farming facilities for improved economics and environmental quality

In Japan, most farm animal excreta has been stored directly on farmland. Runoff from this storage has often caused water pollution. Biogasification is anticipated as an important technology to manage excreta properly, but complex problems hinder its introduction. Economic aspects of management have been especially difficult for dairy farmers. For this study, structural problems regarding introduction of biogasification into dairy farming were identified. Subsequently, a desirable system of dairy farming including biogasification was suggested, and an evaluation model of the financial balance was constructed. A case study using current financial balances of several systems of dairy farming was evaluated using the constructed model and actual data. The systems were based on several policy alternatives including the suggested system mentioned above. Results show that a farmer can obtain sufficient income from a system featuring centralization of dairy housing and biogasification facilities and coordinated management by over six farmers.     

National and subnational outcomes of waste management policies for 1718 municipalities in Japan: development of a bottom-up waste flow model and its application to a declining population through 2030

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Japan has been promoting 3R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) policies for several decades, but the recycling rate of the whole country has leveled off,...