2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Research on Construction of Sustainable Horticultural Production Systems Using Integrated Evaluation Methodologies
| Project/Area Number |
16580194
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Agro-economics
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| Research Institution | National Agricultural Research Organization |
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Principal Investigator |
KIYOTADA Hayashi National Agricultural Research Organization, National Agricultural Research Center, Environmental Assessment and Management Research Team, Team Leader (40355475)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2007
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| Keywords | Horticultural production / Environmental burden / Integrated assessment / Life cycle assessment / Environmental impact assessment / Multi-criteria assessment |
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| Research Abstract |
Integrated evaluation methodologies were developed for establishing sustainable horticultural production systems through modeling of interaction between agriculture and the environment. In particular, the following three research topics were investigated : development of integrated assessment methods, construction of life cycle inventories, and system design for horticultural production using the life cycle approach. Greenhouse tomato production including conventional soil cultivation systems and drip fertigation systems was analyzed as an example.
By applying the environmental theme and damage assessment approaches in life cycle assessment (LCA), comprehensiveness in impact assessment, the relationship between the degree of integration and uncertainty, and the relationship between indicator development and decision support were clarified. On the basis of these approaches, methods to determine the optimum level of management intensity (e.g., fertilizer and pesticide application) were st
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udied with respect to maximization of economic performance and minimization of environmental burdens. As a result, two methods were proposed: one to minimize environmental impacts per unit product (unit income) based on the concept of eco-efficiency and the other to use multi-objective programming that optimizes economic and environmental performances. The comparison of the two models indicates that the solutions of each model can be different, that there is an assumption of implicit preference in the former model from the perspective of the latter model, and that using the latter model is necessary in understanding the trade-offs between economy and the environment. In order to conduct these studies, data regarding horticultural cultivation such as fertilizer and pesticide application were gathered, and life cycle inventories and categorization factors were developed.
Furthermore, possibilities of supporting policy decisions using LCA and life cycle management were examined from the viewpoint of system design. The result indicates that when people try to assess complex objectives such as environmental problems, their preferences are generally constructed, not revealed, at the time a valuation question is asked and that the construction process will be shaped by the interaction between human information processing and decision tasks. Less
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Research Products
(36 results)
