2025.9.28
A training seminar for Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education faculty and staff was held at the RIHN Lecture Room. Presentations titled “Composting and a Circular Society in Integrated Studies (Inquiry-Based Lessons)” and “Designing and Implementing Composting Lessons: Using Elementary Schools as an Example” were given by PL Oyama and Sub-leader Shioya. This training seminar w...
2025.9.26
Why not incorporate composting into your elementary, middle, or high school curriculum? Based on our three years of teaching experience, we have published “Comprehensive Learning Time:－A Guide to Composting Lessons” (114 pages total). This topic offers diverse connections to environmental education, soil education, food education, waste management, and food security issues,...
2025.5.19
At the Japan Association for African Studies (Kyoto University), sub-leader Akiyo Shioya presented “Recycling of Organic Waste in Kampala, Uganda: Utilization of food waste and expansion of pig farming”, researcher Aoike presented “Climate Change and Incidents of Fire in Arid Urban Areas: Reflections on Frequent Fires that Threaten the Citizens of Niamey, Niger”, researcher ...
2025.5.12
Same as last year, we are offering classes for 4th graders at two elementary schools as part of their comprehensive learning program from May 12 to June 30. The two schools are Tawara Elementary School and Ujitawara Elementary School, both located in the town of Ujitawara. PL Oyama and researcher Noda will visit the elementary schools every other week to give classes. The t...
2024.12.23
In Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, we are engaged in pig farming using urban food waste. The food scraps collected are tomato and cabbage leaves that cannot be sold at local markets, Nsima (porridge), vegetable scraps. And other food scraps which are discarded from local restaurants. 15 pigs will eat approximately 100 kg of food scraps in the morning and evening. The excreted...
2024.12.23
It was the first Uganda survey in 6 years. We were also able to revisit the research village, it had been a long time since we met with old friends. Uganda is a country where banana is the staple food. We will conduct agricultural experiments using urban organic waste in three locations in Uganda. Can we restore the soil in the fields that have been devastated by chemical fe...
2024.12.1
Project Leader Oyama gave a general lecture at the Kyoto University Hiroshima Alumni Association. Kyoto University’s Hiroshima Alumni Association is held once a year on the last Wednesday of November at the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Hiroshima, and the public lecture is widely open to the public. On November 27, 2024, PL Oyama gave a lecture titled “Waste Saves the Planet:...
2024.11.25
On November 23, 2024, Project Leader Oyama, Ms. Nakade, Research Associate, Ms. Takekoshi from the Public Relations Office of RIHN, and Mr. Onogawa gave a lecture at the Kyoto City Science Center for Youth’s Future Scientist Training Program. In the limited time of 70 minutes, we talked about the problems of desertification and food shortage in the Sahel region of West...
2024.11.22
Project Leader Oyama gave a lecture at Kyoto Prefectural Mineyama High School on November 21st. The 50 minute class was titled “Understanding the Problem of Desertification”. What are the causes? How serious is the problem? We were able to talk to the first-year high school students not only about a problem limited to distant Africa, but also about a story close to our daily...
2024.11.5
The RIHN Open House was held on November 3, and exhibition by various projects and researchers were presented. In the Organics Material Circulation Project, the Chikyuken Compost (dry composting type) was demonstrated, and visitors were able to see the decomposition process in several basins: materials immediately after preparation, after preparation, food scraps, young, mat...
2024.11.2
Our Project is exhibiting a work called “Compost House” at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa’s special exhibition titled “Dancing with Everything: Ecology of Empathy”. This work is a collaboration between artist Yasura Takeshi and our Project. It uses Chikyuken compost (dry compost type) to decompose food waste and other organic waste, and heat is g...
2024.10.30
Project Leader Oyama went to Ghana, West Africa to conduct research on land degradation related to gold mining. Ghana is famous for its cacao production and it is growing the surrounding area to the field site, but the problem is that some people are mining for gold, and the land and rivers are being degraded. By reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and anti...
2024.10.15
Due to the coup d’état which occurred in Niger in July 2023, it has been impossible for the Japanese project members to visit their field site, but thanks to the tireless effort of our local staff, soil and vegetation survey are being conducted continuously. The Ministry of Environment and the Fight against Desertification (ME/LCD) of the Government of Niger has also p...
2024.9.30
We are offering classes for 6th graders at two elementary schools, as part of their comprehensive learning program. The two shools are Tahara Elementary School and Ujitawara Elementary School, both located in the town of Ujitawara. From September 27 to November 8.our project members, visited the elementary schools every Friday to give lectures. The title of the lecture is “L...
2024.9.23
Noda and Aoike participated in the Kyoto University Academic Day 2024, held at Zest Oike on 21 September. They presented the project, and demonstrated the RIHN compost in front of many visitors.
2024.9.3
The final debriefing session for the JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project (Grassroots Cooperation Support Type) “Greening Activities with Organic Waste in Niamey Metropolitan Area of Republic of Niger,” was held. The project started in September 2021, and selected three areas, total of 10.8 hectares in the Niamey Metropolitan where the soil degradation was especiall...
2024.8.29
On August 1, Noda, Aoike, PL Oyama and Sub-PL Shioya assisted in the Kyoto City Zoo who offer “Museum Studies Practice” course to university students who seek job opportunities in fields of museum and zoos. The course has been led by our joint researcher Dr. Yumi Yamanashi (Kyoto City Zoo, Center for Creatures, Learning, and Research). Many of the students were art majors,...
2024.8.26
Since 2022, Oyama Project Leader (PL)has been building a research center in the West region of Lusaka, Zambia. In August 2024, researchers Utako Aoike and Kentaro Noda of RIHN joined at the center. The center will receive food scraps and vegetable scraps from markets and restaurants as pig feed. And the pig’s manure will be utilized through the dry composting process. Lusaka...
2024.8.20
Since March 2024, project members (mainly Oyama PL, Shioya Sub-PL, and researcher Aoike) have been attending to the composting process at Westin Miyako Hotel every Tuesday and Thursday. On August 1, we had the chance to see how the fig plants which the compost had been applied. This summer has been very hot, and the figs ripened a little late due to this. The ripening seas...
2024.7.31
As a collaborative project with the Kyoto Prefectural Board of Education, Project Leader(PL) Oyama gave a lecture at Sonobe Junior High School. The lecture title was “Understanding Desertification”. PL explained about the problem of desertification and land degradation, which is becoming more and more serious around the world. He also talked about the way to solve the proble...