During the past few decades, land use change has been taking place over the Phatthalung watershed and the major change has been the replacement of paddy fields with rubber plantations. Those changes cause the reduction of paddy field and crop land area. Together with the population growth, urbanization and soil degradation, the food availability becomes a concerned issue. The food availability situation of Phatthalung watershed under different possible scenarios has been investigated as the major objective of this study. The scenarios developed in this study included the biophysical factors, socio-economic factors and policy factors. The projected food production of four scenarios except the worst case exceeded the local consumption rate and the high surplus of rice was found in the best case scenario. The projected food production from the baseline and the moderate case scenarios was medium, whereas the projected food production from the worst case scenario was lower than the household requirement, which can be interpreted as insufficient. These results from the four scenarios should be recognized in order to prevent and avoid the local and national food, especially rice, insecurity in the future.

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The Rice Soil Fertility Capability Classification (RSFCC) is based on FCC (Fertility Capability Classification) system, with some modifications. The system deals with soil morphology, physics, and chemistry characteristics. Most of the class limits of modifiers are borrowed from soil taxonomy, others could be from field observation, which consists of 4 categories and based on three soil layers. The upper layer coincides with the top 20 cm or Type (C for clay and L for Loamy). The soil below the upper layer from 20 to 50 cm is referred to the Substrata Type (C for Clay and L for Loamy), and from 50 to 100 cm is referred to Subsoil Type (C for Clay, L for Loamy, and S for Sandy). The condition modifiers, directly relevant to plant growth, include a, a^- c, c^-, e, f, f^-, g⁺, i, n^-, s, s^-, o, p. Some modifications and additions for classification are suggested, in which new modifiers of p (low P available), o (low organic carbon), c, c^- (actual acid sulfate), f, f^- (potential acid sulfate) are added, the former c condition modifier (sulfidic) divided into c (actual acid sulfate) and f (potential acid sulfate). Modifiers of a, i, n, s, are suggested with modifications from FCC system. The classes within each category and assigned modifiers for each soil type/substrata type/subsoil type are different, which is followed by modifiers presented.

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The study was carried out on the Shinotsu Canal agricultural watershed of Hokkaido, Japan from 2003 to 2008. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutrients fluxes after using irrigation into the paddy fields and the effectiveness of the paddy fields in removing nutrients load of the Shinotsu Canal watershed. Upper part of the Shinotsu Canal is dominated by paddy field and lower part is dominated by upland field. Water samples were collected with an automatic sampler at pump station (inflow) and end of drainage channel (outflow) of both block, and measured volume of inflow and outflow at puddling period (May). The concentration of suspended solids (SS) was determined by gravimetrically through suction filtration, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were determined by UV spectrophotometric methods, respectively. Water balance is higher at lower part of Mihara drainage block (MDB) than upper part of Tsukigata drainage block (TDB) due to high percentage of upland that caused losses of water by leakage and percolation. TN, TP and SS concentrations in drainage water are higher in MDB than that of TDB. The net loads of TN and TP are showed negative and lower values in TDB whereas MDB is positive and higher values, due to a combination of nitrification and denitrification, sedimentation reactions and sorption by soil is more in high percentage of paddy field in TDB. TN, TP and SS concentrations outflow load and net load are decreasing from 2003 to 2008 due to changed of water management by progress of pipe line. From the viewpoint of reducing the outflow of nutrients, it may be stated that the paddy field dominated area showed good performance in purification function for nutrients compounds.

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This paper discusses the influence of soil salinization on cotton plant growth and the factors that cause salinization in irrigated farmland located along the northern part of the Tarim River, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. A field survey was conducted in a cotton field in Nuerbake Township, Xayar County. The physical properties of the soil, fluctuations in groundwater level, the growth of cotton plants and electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil saturation extract were investigated. The quality of irrigation water and groundwater was also measured at the study area. The groundwater level was low in the summer and high in early spring; this high level was due to thawing of the soil and irrigation for planting. However, use of border irrigation temporarily raised the groundwater level. Even within the same field, the EC of the soil saturation extract differed depending on locations and soil depths. An EC of the surface soil exceeding 8.0 dSm⁻¹ retarded cotton growth. We found that irrigation water quality did not affect the growth remarkably because the EC of the irrigation water was lower than 4.0-6.0 dS/m. On the other hand, the existence of a less permeable subsurface soil damaged cotton growth. The difference in hydraulic properties of the subsurface soil is influenced by the amount of clay that affects water and saline movement toward the surface.

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Soil erosion causes serious environmental problems in Bohol Island, Philippines. Considering the agricultural socio-economic situation in the island, utilizing available materials in the region to mitigate soil erosion particularly in the upland fields have been focused. Thus, slope modeling experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of coconut husk buffer strip on mitigating the losses of soil and nutrients. Based on the experimental results, the coconut husk buffer was effective to trap transported soils, however the nutrient losses from the plots with the coconut husk buffer were slightly higher than that from control plot without any treatments in the initial stage of rainfall events after the installation of coconut husk buffer strip.

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Cooperatives, associations, partnerships, non-profit organizations (NPOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are core elements of the Social Economy. Social Economy as an economic and societal development approach could support the sustainable rural and environmental management in South East Asian countries. Examples for Social Economy enterprises are microlending institutions, fishing and rice cooperatives in Vietnam and Thailand, pepper and pottery associations in Cambodia or rural and small scale industry commodities and service associations. The Social Economy needs just and equal distribution of property, but also innovative property tax collection models in order to guarantee sustainable financial support by the governments. The implementation faces several challenges. Existing private property or leasehold rights and large agricultural investment funds could lead to the exclusion of small and medium landowners, family-based farmers and to a lack of institutional support from higher political levels. A system combining different forms of public and private property and good land governance may be the means to bridge the gap between the private right to acquire natural resources and the needs of the Social Economy. The division of agricultural land, natural commodities and the means of production in a comprehensive and equal way between the people is of fundamental importance for the Asian states.

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Since in the nineties, contamination of river water by nitrogen from cultivated land has been an issue in major agricultural region of Hokkaido. This study examines the effects of the ratios of cropland or forestland to the watershed area on the nitrogen concentration in the river water, taking as its survey area the Tokachi River basin in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. The study also investigates the impact of cropland and forestland agglomeration on the nitrogen concentration in river water. Survey samples were taken at 37 locations on the Tokachi River. Nitrogen concentrations in the river water were measured at all locations in June, August, and October of 2007, when water levels were normal. In addition, a GIS land use analysis was conducted using a land use map of the region with a grid resolution of 100 m. This analysis determined that cropland and forestland accounts 90 % of the total area in the study watershed. Moreover, spatial continuity (SC) was calculated as an index of cropland and forestland agglomeration. SC represents the average area of a contiguous patch of cropland or forestland in this study. Based on the accumulated data, the followings were found; 1) nitrogen concentration in river water are positively correlated with the proportion of cropland, but are negatively correlated with the proportion of forestland. It is clear that the proportion of each land use is a factor affecting nitrogen concentrations in the river water. 2) The correlation between river nitrogen concentrations and SC values is positive for cropland, but negative for forestland. This indicates that nitrogen concentrations in river water likely decreases if the land use pattern is changed: scattering cropland to reduce its patch size, or connecting forestland together to make the forest patch size larger.

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Soil salinity has become one of the major determinants of crop productivity in Northeast Thailand, and has an adverse impact on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, as well as plant growth and yield. Ecological management of soil is essential to sustainable production. Soil microorganism may fulfill many important ecological roles including decomposition and nutrient cycling in salt-affected area. This study aimed to monitor the impact of salinity on soil properties under tree plantation at Amphur Borabue, Mahasarakam Province, Northeast Thailand. The study area was divided into 3 zones followed by the plant community found in each area which correlated with the flooding situation and soil salinity. Soil samples were collected from three different zones at the same depth (0-20 cm) with three replications during the rainy seasons of 2008 and 2010 in order to analyze soil physical, chemical and biological properties. The results showed that biodiversity of soil biota and soil microbial activity in terms of soil microbial carbon, soil microbial nitrogen and soil respiration after tree plantation was higher than before. The EC, Na and K values were decreased, whereas pH, OM and N were increased after tree plantation. It could be concluded that soil physical, chemical and biological properties were improved after tree plantation. Therefore, this result would be valuable for sustainable land resources improvement and rehabilitation.

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The objective of this study aims to monitor pesticide residues in organic waste in Northeast Thailand. Pesticides are widely used in agriculture and trade of agricultural products to increase agricultural yield and to protect plants from diseases, weeds and insect damage. The increasing use of pesticides has significantly increased crop contamination and human health hazard. On the Thai markets, fruit and vegetables have high risk for pesticide contamination. Uneatable and unusable parts of these goods transform to a fraction of organic waste. The quantity of waste in terms of solid waste from Northeast Thailand was 11,820 tons/day and over 50 % was organic waste. Composting (such as compost, biological fermentation fertilizer) and animal feed are conventional methods to manage waste from vegetables and fruit in Northeast Thailand. However, the risk assessment of pesticide residue in organic waste should be studied and taken into consideration for environmental safety and human health. A total of 22 pesticides from different chemical groups (organochlorine, organophosphate and pyrethroid) in the different organic wastes collected from the markets in Khon Kaen provinces, in the Northeast of Thailand, were monitored in the rainy and winter season in the year 2010 by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (ECD) and flame photometric detector (FPD). Pesticide residues were found in organic waste. The most frequently found pesticides were cypermethrin followed by chlorpyrifos deltametrhrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, respectively ranging from 0.044 to 2.608 mg kg^-1. Pesticide residue in organic waste was found to be higher in the winter season than in the rainy season. Pesticide residue was found higher in cabbages followed by kale, lettuce and corn peel, respectively. Therefore, a monitoring program for pesticide residues and a risk assessment study in organic waste are needed for protection of human's health and the environment.

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Clinker ash is a kind of coal ash produced by the burning of coal at thermal power plants. Recycling of clinker ash is highly desirable since most of it goes to landfills at present. Because of its porous solid, clinker ash has high potential as a means of purifying contaminated water. On the other hand, nitrogen outflow by paddy drainage has become a major problem in Japan. Therefore, this study examines the effectiveness of a filtering system using clinker ash for removing nitrogen from paddy drainage. A column experiment was conducted in the laboratory to examine the nitrogen removal function of clinker ash. Four types of filtering materials were prepared as the test samples. The Sample I consisted only of clinker ash; the Sample II and the Sample III were a mixture of clinker ash and paddy soil in the ratios of 3:1 and 1:3 respectively; and the Sample IV was comprised of paddy soil only. Each sample was poured into PVC columns (44 mm in diameter; 350 mm in length). A solution prepared with NH₄-N at a concentration of 10 mg/L and C/N of 12 was fed to the columns at a flow rate of 100 to 200 mL/d for 121 days. During the experiment, the columns were kept saturated at a room temperature of 24.4±1.3 °C and illuminated at 544±192 lux. The study showed that clinker ash has the effect of removing nitrogen. However, it also found that clinker ash's removal function is compromised when a large amount of paddy soil is mixed with clinker ash. In order to remove nitrogen from paddy drainage by using clinker ash, only a relatively small amount of paddy soil should be mixed with clinker ash.

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The research examines the application of local good governance (LGG) in the implementation of rural infrastructure development planning (RIDP) and analyzes its strengths and limitations. Two communes with longer and shorter working experience in the application of LGG in RIDP, viz. Khnach Romeas (KR) and Prey Khpos (PK) in Battambang province were selected. The study covered six elements of LGG: rule of law, participation, accountability, transparency, responsiveness and effectiveness and efficiency. The research revealed that the commune with relatively longer working experience (KR) had achieved better performance on several key elements of LGG than the one with shorter working experience (PK). Better performance in LGG by KR than PK commune was due to several factors, including better understanding and application of LGG in RIDP, wider learning by doing in RIDP, more effective fundraising for project implementation, stronger commitment among commune councils (CCs), better coaching and mentoring support from district planning facilitators and authorities and more active local participation. CCs and sampled households expressed relatively higher satisfaction levels on rural infrastructure projects as a result of the use of LGG. Therefore, the LGG performance in applying RIDP of the two study communes was significantly determined by several institutional, economic, and social factors.

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Within the context of the Doi Moi period in Vietnam, rural people's livelihoods are more diversified and also vulnerable depending on the policy and other factors. This study seeks to understand the dynamic of rural people livelihoods in relationship with the changes in social and economic context. The general objective of this study is to describe the livelihoods system of rural people and identify the livelihoods strategies adapted by rural people and describe patterns/models of sustainable livelihoods options. This study is descriptive in nature. In order to draw a comprehensive range of information, the study make used of a variety of research methods. More particularly, the study used the participatory research method, combining both quantitative and qualitative techniques (i.e., secondary data collection, interviews, households' livelihood analysis and the like).

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At the beginning of this century, the Japanese education system and associated curriculum dramatically changed, particularly concerning instruction related to acquiring a “Zest for Living" through food and agriculture education. Concomitant with these revisions, numerous studies and activities have been conducted predominantly at the elementary level, with only a few performed at the university level. In attempt to counter this trend, the Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA) established the Food and Agriculture Education Theory Course (FAETC) in April 2007. In the present study, the effectiveness of the FAETC was investigated by examining the relationship among students' daily lifestyles, particularly nightly sleeping time and breakfast consumption custom, and their academic performance in this course. From the results of surveys conducted over a three-year period, it was revealed that students who had a regular lifestyle with respect to sleeping and eating trends exhibited superior academic performance. However, it appeared that students with an irregular lifestyle also improved their concentration levels. Therefore, these results suggest that a positive correlation exists between lifestyle and concentration level, and student conscientization can be promoted by continuous encouragement in regular class. In other words, it is concluded that a large possibility exists for the role of FAETC for conscientization by students in their daily lives.

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In Japan, some laws for the pavement, which took into consideration physically handicapped people and senior citizens, were established. In those relevant laws, it is recommended that safety and comfort for all users should be considered when the sidewalks are designed. But the evaluation method of safety and comfort is not established when the sidewalk pavement are constructed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to establish the simple evaluation method of the pavement's hardness that take into consideration safety and comfort of users, especially for handicapped people. Moreover, the SB/GB test and the Portable Falling Weight Deflectometer (PFWD) test were carried out in this study. In SB/GB test, 1 inch steel ball in diameter and a golf ball were used to measure SB/GB coefficients that were calculated from the bounce height of each ball. The PFWD was used to measure elastic moduli of pavement. In the previous study, Takeuchi et al. pointed out that the range of an elastic modulus took into consideration safety and comfort of users that is 25-80 MPa. However it is hard to obtain PFWD because of an expensive device. By contrast, SB/GB test can be conducted easily by using a golf ball and a steel ball, moreover, it is widely used in Japan. Hence, to simplify the hardness evaluation of sidewalk pavement, SB/GB coefficients were compared with the elastic modulus. As the result, it was found that the range of SB/GB coefficients corresponding to the range of 25-80 MPa in the elastic modulus were around 20-35 % in SB coefficient and around 45-65 % in GB coefficient. The range can be used to evaluate a road surface by cheap, easy and convenient equipment.

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The work examines the impacts of rampant illegal logging practiced in Riau Province, which has placed the province ahead of other Indonesian provinces as having the highest rate of illegal timber exports. In addition to the problem of illegal logging, the Riau Province is also saddled with forest fires raging in Sumatra. These have been responsible for extensive environmental disaster experienced in this part of Indonesia - such as the destruction of biodiversity and their habitat and the release of atmospheric polluting gases. The illegal logging activities and the forest fires expose the affected region to soil erosion following heavy downpours experienced in the region. In Asia, for example, there are fundamental differences between the fire-related problems in India, China, Korea, Mongolia and Siberia on the one hand, and South-East Asia on the other. Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea are experiencing ever greater problems with uncontrolled forest fire outbreaks. Key connected factors causing fires in land and forest use: First: The opening up and exploitation of forests to serve the wood industry is an important factor in that potentially. Second: The arrival of the wood industry is followed by new settlers who use fire to clear the land for cultivation; however, these settlers often lack a traditional relationship with the forests and thus have no interest in preserving it. Third: Apart from this exploitation of the forests, another important factor is the large-scale transformation from natural forest to woods for industry and oil palm plantations. This is highly profitable and was until recently even subsidized by the state. The instrument of choice for doing this, although officially forbidden, is fire.

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Approximately 87 million tons of dung is being produced annually from cattle farms all over Japan. Considering the proper treatment of this waste product, applying manure to farmlands has been focused from a viewpoint of popularizing organic agriculture. However, pathogenic bacteria known as E.coli may be released from the immature fermented manure that was applied in farmlands. So, the treatment for decreasing E.coli should be considered. Although air drying is known as an effective treatment for decreasing E.coli, it might affect beneficial bacteria as well as pathogenic bacteria. So, this study dealt with the observation of the change in several microorganisms such as E.coli, coliform bacteria and general bacteria under air drying treatment. In the experiment, 3 types of cow manure such as fresh, 2 weeks fermented and 12 weeks fermented were employed. Air drying treatment was carried out to observe the survival of E.coli, coliform bacteria and general bacteria during 28 days. The experimental results showed that the number of E.coli and coliform bacteria decreased with passing day of air drying process. Also, the number of general bacteria decreased with time of air drying process. However, it was considered that the decrease in general bacteria possibly affects the decomposing process of manure. Therefore, it was concluded that air drying treatment for fresh cow dung is not a proper way but is applicable to the manure fermented for 2 weeks or 12 weeks.

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The objectives of this research were to investigate the effect of rice straw management and the application of different types of organic fertilizer on the growth and yield of transplanted rice grown under rainfed conditions. The experiment was conducted in a farmer's field in Khon Kaen province in 2009. A Randomized Complete Block Design was used with four replications. The treatments consisted of (1) rice straw incorporation into the soil, (2) rice straw combined with cattle manure, (3) rice straw combined with bio-extracted fertilizer and (4) rice straw combined with cattle manure and bio-extracted fertilizer. In the present experiment, the rice straw remaining in the paddy field was incorporated into soil after the rice harvest in April. Then the rice was transplanted in August. The amount of rice straw and cattle manure incorporated into the soil were about 5.1 and 9.4 tons/ha respectively, which provided N 129 kg/ha, P 41 kg/ha and K 382 kg/ha. A liquid bio-extracted fertilizer was applied into the soil during the incorporation of rice straw at a rate of 30 liters per hectare which provided N 28 g/ha, P 5 g/ha and K 135 g/ha and foliar application at 60 days after rice transplanting which provided N 1.11 g/ha, P 0.18 g/ha and K 5.4 g/ha. It was found that the application of different types of organic fertilizer combined with rice straw had a significant effect on plant height, but did not show any significant effect on leaf area and aboveground dry weight at 30 days after transplanting and at panicle initiation growth stage. At harvest, total aboveground dry weight and panicle number were significantly affected by the application of different types of organic fertilizer. The treatment of rice straw combined with cattle manure and bio-extract fertilizer gave the maximum panicle number. The treatment of rice straw combined with cattle manure gave maximum grain yield, but did not show any significant difference from the treatment of rice straw combined with cattle manure and bio-extracted fertilizer.

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One of the challenges in developing organic agricultural production in Indonesia is increasing farmers' awareness of organic farming methods to grow high quality organic products. Recognizing the need for research and development of organic agriculture, the Development of New Bio-Agents for Alternative Farming (DNBAF) project established pilot farms in West Java and Bali in 2005 in order to field test the use of bio-pesticides and compost. Since lack of extension is a constraint in developing organic agriculture in Indonesia, it is important to understand what factors determine farmers' knowledge of organic farming methods. The goal of this study was to determine the factors associated with awareness of organic vegetable production practices including bio-pesticides and compost in West Java and Bali, Indonesia. The study tested the hypothesis that socio-economic variables affect the farmers' familiarity with bio-pesticides and compost. The socio-economic variables examined were: respondent's location, gender, age, education level, household size, number of family laborers, farming experience, farm size, distance to the pilot farm, irrigation sources, land tenure status, net revenue of cabbage, tomato, carrot production, exposure to the pilot farm and any information source groups (media, extension, farmer and commercial groups). Data were collected using a face-to-face survey. In the survey, a total of 627 households of vegetable farmers surrounding the pilot farms in West Java and Bali constituted the population, and 210 farmers selected by a systematic random sampling method were interviewed. The study hypothesis was tested by a binary logit analysis. The binary logit analysis showed that the factors associated with awareness of the practices included: location, gender, educational level, distance to the pilot farms, exposure to the pilot farms, and information sources.

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This research was conducted to investigate the impacts of micro-credit on local household economics in Prek Norin Commune by focusing on people who took a loan from microfinance institutions and continue to use it. This study mainly focuses on three objectives, socio-economic factors of households using credit, the status of using micro-credit and effects of micro-credit on household economics. Data were collected via survey, using face to face interviews with a hundred and forty two household heads. Simple random sampling method was used to select the samples from two villages (Prektachreng and Prek Krouch) in Prek Norin Commune, Ek Phnom district, Battambang province. Therefore, the accuracy of the analysis heavily relies on the data provided by interviewees. The result of this study revealed that those using micro-credit have better living standards than before because of income and asset growth. In addition, using micro-credit also creates more job opportunities and variety of economic activities, provides more jobs for women, and improves household education, women's status, and family welfare. It also reduces income inequality in the villages. However, micro-credit has negative impacts on people's feeling because most people are more concerned about paying back the loan.

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Organic farming is recognized as an important system of agriculture and food production, that is environmentally sustainable and can generate several positive impacts to rural society. The development of organic farming in Cambodia is in its early stage. Thus, the objectives of this research were to identify the farmers’ perception on organic rice farming and to analyze the economic effects of the system. Data collection was carried out through a pretested interview schedule, two types of questionnaires and a personal observation schedule while descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed with the use of statistical package for the social sciences or SPSS software. The results showed that the majority of farmers converted their farms into organic farms because of premium prices on organic products and 15% increase from their farm incomes compared to conventional farms. Adapting organic rice farming is able to increase rice yields by 5% accounting from 2.46 to 2.59 tons per hectare. The increased amounts of rice production were equivalent to 21%. Furthermore, organic farming systems could be more stable since the analysis of its economic efficiency was higher than conventional farming system.

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