5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[HCG25-P07] Comparison of Nitrogen Emissions in the Food Industry between Yamanashi and Aichi Prefectures
In Japan, groundwater tends to be used through wells during disasters such as earthquakes in recent years. Even in the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is estimated that groundwater could be used immediately after the earthquake if some means of pumping could be secured at most wells (Sugita, 2012), and the possibility of using groundwater for drinking water through wells has increased sufficiently. However, groundwater must be consistently below the standard value in order to be used as drinking water. In Yamanashi Prefecture, there are several areas where nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in groundwater exceed the standard, and the agriculture and livestock industries are pointed out as one of the factors (Kazama, 2002).
In this study, we estimated the amount of nitrogen emissions in the food industry, which consists of the "food system," on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis by understanding the nitrogen flow. Among these, we focused on the "livestock industry and arable agriculture," which are considered to have a particularly large impact on nitrogen emissions. The analysis method was to calculate nitrogen emissions in each sector by converting monetary flows into material flows and nitrogen flows using an input-output table (hereafter referred to as the input-output table). For other data that were difficult to collect from the input-output table, we used open data provided by government agencies.
Among the food industries focused on in this study, "arable agriculture" has not been quantitatively evaluated in terms of nitrogen runoff by farmers themselves, since many of them are self-employed. In this study, we evaluated the relative impact of "arable agriculture" on nitrogen runoff by comparing Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures. Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures differ in the ratio of "livestock farming" and "arable agriculture" within the "livestock farming and arable agriculture" sector in terms of production value. Livestock production accounts for about 10% in Yamanashi Prefecture and about 30% in Aichi Prefecture. The livestock industry is considered to have better control over nitrogen disposal than arable agriculture, partly because the law stipulates the disposal of livestock manure in the livestock industry. Comparing the two prefectures, which have different composition ratios of both, may reveal the relationship between industrial structure and water pollution. The discussion will be presented using specific numerical results.
In this study, we estimated the amount of nitrogen emissions in the food industry, which consists of the "food system," on a prefecture-by-prefecture basis by understanding the nitrogen flow. Among these, we focused on the "livestock industry and arable agriculture," which are considered to have a particularly large impact on nitrogen emissions. The analysis method was to calculate nitrogen emissions in each sector by converting monetary flows into material flows and nitrogen flows using an input-output table (hereafter referred to as the input-output table). For other data that were difficult to collect from the input-output table, we used open data provided by government agencies.
Among the food industries focused on in this study, "arable agriculture" has not been quantitatively evaluated in terms of nitrogen runoff by farmers themselves, since many of them are self-employed. In this study, we evaluated the relative impact of "arable agriculture" on nitrogen runoff by comparing Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures. Yamanashi and Aichi prefectures differ in the ratio of "livestock farming" and "arable agriculture" within the "livestock farming and arable agriculture" sector in terms of production value. Livestock production accounts for about 10% in Yamanashi Prefecture and about 30% in Aichi Prefecture. The livestock industry is considered to have better control over nitrogen disposal than arable agriculture, partly because the law stipulates the disposal of livestock manure in the livestock industry. Comparing the two prefectures, which have different composition ratios of both, may reveal the relationship between industrial structure and water pollution. The discussion will be presented using specific numerical results.