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...
2024.11.19
Noda, Kentaro Report: Watsuka Compost School activities and report of the site visits. Shioya, Akiyo Article review: Lima Cano, N. S. de S., E. Iacovidou and E. W. Rutkowski (2022) “Typology of municipal solid waste recycling value chains: A global perspective,” Journal of Cleaner Production, 336: 1-14. Aoike, Utako Article Review: Shane, A., S.H. Gheewala, B. Fungtammasan...
2024.11.12
Maehata, Teruya Article Review: Taniguchi, T., Hino, K., and Takahashi, E., (1994), “On the Composting of Leftover from Feeding Facilities with Special Reference to the Effects of Mixing Materials on the Properties of Products”, Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 65(1): 48−52. Shioya, Akiyo Article review: Ichikawa, A., Nakatani, H., Masuda, T., Kano, M...
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...
2024.10.29
Aoike, Utako Presentation: Acquired JAS standards for fertilizers Shioya, Akiyo Literature review: Ibrahim Wanyama and Sonja Leitner (2019), “A review on health and environmental aspects of current manure management practices in pig production systems in Uganda”, International Livestock Research Institute Oyama, Shuichi Literature review: Oshii, Nao (2021), Structure of “...
2024.10.23
Project Leader Oyama gave a keynote speech at the Green Purchasing Symposium of Shiga Green Activity Network (SGN) on June 4, which led to a video about Chikyuken compost (dry composting type) which was uploaded onto Youtube. (Photo 20) JA Green Omi “I made compost!
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...
2024.10.8
Maehata, Teruya Article Review: Maeda, Takeki, Matsuda, Juzo, (2005) “Microbe Utilization of Carbon and Nitrogen During Composting” Transactions of the Japan Society of Waste Management Vol.16, No4, pp.287-294 Noda, Kentaro Article Review: Akinyele O.K. Adesehinwa, Bamidele A. Boladuro, Adetola S. Dunmade, Ayodeji B. Idewu, John C. Moreki, Ann M. Wachira (2024) “Pig product...
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.
2024.9.10
On September 8, 2024, our project was featured in the Sunday edition of the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper in the photography section. The article was titled “Dry Composting: Producing Soil from Leftover Foods, Using Experience in Africa hints for Organic Circulation between Cities and Farmlands, And how to Simple Methods of Making Compost”. The article was written by reporter Kazu...
2024.9.4
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) posted about our Project’s on-site lecture at the elementary schools on their X account. (previously known as Twitter). The Project has been engaged in an environmental education program in 2 elementary schools in Kyoto Prefecture, teaching 5th grade students about soil and composting. We used our ...
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...