This document summarizes research on urban agriculture and bioresource management in the Asian cities of Osaka, Japan and Quezon City, Philippines. In Osaka, the research analyzed vegetable flows at different scales and identified local production for local consumption practices. It also investigated potential for local bioresource recycling. In Quezon City, the research surveyed organic waste management in three barangays and found common problems of compost oversupply. Promoting agricultural use of vacant lots was proposed to help utilize excess compost. Overall, the research highlighted the need to better connect urban agriculture and waste recycling towards more sustainable resource management in cities.

1. Urban Agriculture and Bioresource Management
in Asian low-lying cities
August 16, 2011 at Manila
International Workshop on Sustainable City Region
Yuji HARA and Kazuaki TSUCHIYA
Akinobu MURAKAMI, Armando M. PALIJON and Makoto YOKOHARI
1/35

2. Purchasing vegetables at…
Shopping center (mass) Local food station (trend)
Mono function under market economy Multi functions ?
2/35Introduction

3. Multi functions of Local Production for
Local Consumption (LPLC)
• Face to face
communication
(promoting food
safety)
• Environmental
education (promoting
citizen's
environmental
awareness)
etc…
3/35Introduction

4. Examples of bioresource recycling
activities in city-regions
4/35
Composting facility at peri-urban forest Organic farming at rooftop garden
Introduction

5. Need to link local vegetable and bioresource
flows in consideration of land-use patterns
5/35Introduction

6. ongoing case study for Osaka region in Japan
focusing on vegetable and bioresource flows
case study for Quezon City focusing on
barangays’ biowaste management projects
Contents of this presentation:
examples from Japan & the Philippines
6/35

7. Research questions of Osaka case study
• Is LPLC really good in terms of environment
particularly energy consumption? (even it has
multi functions)
• What kinds of LPLC practice are being carried
out in the field?
• Is it possible to consider such practices into
land-use planning? Can we make land-use
scenarios?
7/35Case1: Osaka

8. Vegetable flows in Osaka city region
- Analysis at three scales -
1. Market basis vegetable flow at national scale
Estimating the amount of vegetables that flows
into Osaka city region
• Using vegetable marketing, agricultural land use
and energy consumption statistics
• Minimum spatial unit is a Prefecture
• 2 categories: Leaf vegetables and Root vegetables
• Quantifying environmental impact (energy
consumption) of these non-local vegetable flows
8/35Case1: Osaka

9. Weight (t)
97,000
Leaf and fruit vegetables
Root vegetables
Amount of vegetables flowing into Osaka region
(in 2003)
´
500
km
9/35Case1: Osaka

10. Energy (GJ)
7,400
Leaf and fruit vegetables
Root vegetables
Energy consumption in production process of
vegetables flowing into Osaka region
(in 2003)
´
500
km
10/35Case1: Osaka

11. Depending on remote prefectures
with high energy inputs
11/35
Farmlands on steep hillside Greenhouses
Case1: Osaka

12. Vegetable flows in Osaka city region
- Analysis at three scales -
2. Regional theoretical food self-sufficiency ratio
• Following Kurita et al. (2009) of Tokyo city region
• Using GIS data (land uses) and statistical data
(population etc.)
• Calculating amounts of vegetable production and
consumption at 1km grid
– Production = area of farmlands * production per area
– Consumption = population * consumption per capita
→ Showing Consumption / Production ratio
12/35Case1: Osaka

13. Consumption /
Production ratio
of vegetables
Weight (t)
97,000
Leaf and fruit vegetables
Root vegetables
Amount of vegetables flowing into Osaka region
(in 2003)
´
500
km
13/35Case1: Osaka

14. Vegetable flows in Osaka city region
- Analysis at three scales -
3. Identifying LPLC practices in Sakai
City and analyzing potential for local
bioresource recycling
• Mapping local food stations and
amounts of local vegetable sale
• Calculating agricultural land use and
local vegetable productions
• Analyzing the balance between
fertilizer needs and biowaste-origin
compost amounts (ongoing)
14/35Case1: Osaka

15. Local vegetable stations in Sakai City
and surrounding land uses
Farmers market (by groups and individuals)
Managed by Individual
Managed by Group
Agricultural land
Residential area
• Local farmers sell products by
themselves
• Customers are mostly from local
• Municipality supports to
advertise such kinds of activities
15/35Case1: Osaka

16. Bioresource utilization projects (under research)
16/35Case1: Osaka
Emerging community-based organic farming groups
involving urbanites in order to avoid farmland abandonments

17. Investigating organic waste flows in
Quezon City
17/35Case2: Quezon

18. Institutional framework
 Setting of National Solid Waste
Management Commission
 Publishing national guideline for waste
management
 Establishing and implementing Solid
Waste Management Plan (SWMP)
 Monitoring barangays’ activities and
programs under SWMP
DENR
(National
Government)
EPWMD
(Quezon City)
Barangays
 Constructing and operating Material
Recovery Facility (MRF)
 Waste segregation at source for
collecting recyclable materials
 Composting program
RA9003
Order
Incentives
18/35Case2: Quezon

19. Field survey in three barangays
Selection of three advanced barangays in waste
management practices according to building-to-land ratio
①Barangay Holy Spirit
• 102,194 inhabitants (2007)
• 3.28 km2
②Barangay Phil-Am
• 3,652 inhabitants (2007)
• 0.46 km2
③Barangay Bagumbuhay
• 7,895 inhabitants (2007)
• 0.26 km2
①
②
③
19/35Case2: Quezon

20. Bioresource flow in Holy Spirit
Household Household
GarbageTruck
Compost
production
1,260kg/day
Amount of organic
waste withdrawn by
hog raiser
1,102kg/day
Feedstuff
Soldto
farmers
1,134kg/day
Outside of Barangay
By Household or Privatesector
By Barangay
Landfill
Compost use
at Eco Center
126kg/day
MRF
Amount of collected
organic waste
2,602kg/day
1
2
3
4
Holy Spirit
Organic waste for
making compost
1,500kg/day
43%
57% 10%
90%
Household Household
1
2
3
4
20/35Case2: Quezon

21. Bioresource flow in Phil-Am
Household Household Household Household Compostingor feeding?
Dumping?
Organicwaste
carried into MRF
by residents
(housekeepers)
489.7kg/day
Compost production
540kg/day
（16,200kg/month）
LACTO Ltd.
Compost amount
1,000kg/month
Farmers
Compost amount
15,200kg/month
Bought by
100%
100%
Phil-Am
1
2
By Household or
Privatesector
By Barangay
Outside of Barangay
1
2
21/35Case2: Quezon

22. Bioresource flow in Bagumbuhay
Bagumbuhay
Household Household Household Household
Garbage Cart
Collectedorganicwaste
1009.1kg/day
Compost
production
121kg/day
Amountof organic waste
withdrawnby hog raiser
883.1kg/day
Feedstuff
Bought by
gardeningshop
66.6kg/day
On sale
Organicwaste
for compost
126kg/day
12%
88% 55%
45%
1
2
3
4
By Household or Privatesector
By Barangay
Outside of Barangay
1
2
3
4
22/35Case2: Quezon

23. Common problems: compost oversupply
Currently feedstuff at the piggery farms in remote
rural area is playing an important role
23/35Case2: Quezon

24. Promotion of agricultural activities is one of the
possible options to consume compost
Operated barangay farm Well-observed individual agricultural
activities in the vacant lands
Can be systemized?
24/35Case2: Quezon

25. Vacant lots and land use in Holy Spirit
Vacant lot distribution Current land use
Vacant
Commercial
Mortgage
Subdivision
Others
25/35Case2: Quezon

26. Vacant lots and land use in Phil-Am
Vacant lot distribution Current land use
Commercial
Subdivision
Vacant
Others
26/35Case2: Quezon

27. Vacant lots and land use in Bagumbuhay
Vacant lot distribution Current land use
Commercial
Subdivision
Vacant
Others
27/35Case2: Quezon

28. Potential of vacant lots for utilizing compost
made from organic waste
Barangay Current compost
production (t/year)
Potential amount of
compost use in all
vacant lots (t/year)
Holy Spirit 460 1876
Phil-Am 194 126.2
Bagumbuhay 44 70.3
High potential of vacant lots; however, will it be materialized?
28/35Case2: Quezon

29. Field-verified agricultural lot use in Holy Spirit
Subdivision
Name
Total lot
number
Vacant lot
number
Active
farming lot
Vegetable &
potato
Gardening Maintenance
fee (PHP/M)
BF
HOMES
600 111 4 33 3 500
MAPAYAPA
VILLAGE 2
190 34 8 18 3 375
ISHIDORA
HILLS
182 42 9 5 1 120
DON
ENRIQUE
300 75 4 11 0 400
DON
ANTONIO
500 85 11 36 5 250
SOUTH
VILLE
113 0 0 0 0 200
GRAN
WOOD
151 0 0 0 0 900
29/35Case2: Quezon

30. Agricultural lot use by caretaker
 Absentee landowner of speculative vacant lot wants to avoid
illegal dumping and vegetation overgrowth
 Caretakers used to be absentee landowner’s housekeeper,
driver or their relatives
 ID guaranteed by absentee landowner
 Thereby homeowners association can accept them
30/35Case2: Quezon

31. Installation of new ID-clarify systems by public agencies can
be discussed for promoting agricultural lot use
Quezon City
Holy Spirit
Philam Bagumbuhay
City boundary
Barangay
boundary
HOA
boundary
In-subdivision
house
Individual
house
Squatters
Open space
Vacantlot
31/35Case2: Quezon

32. Future research
• Investigating actual vegetable
• Experimental practice to use barangay-produced
compost in those temporal vegetable plots
32/35
Your cooperation is highly appreciated…
Case2: Quezon

33. Summary
Different phases of multi-functionality of urban agriculture and
bioresource management in Osaka and Quezon
Osaka
• Less urbanization pressure
• Need for managing
abandoned farmlands
• Need for reducing energy
consumption
• Thereby promoting
community-based LPLC
activities
→ Need to consider balances
of local, national and global
vegetable flows
Quezon
• Limited space
• Need for waste reduction
• Thereby promoting
biowaste recycling
• Need for managing vacant
lots
• Thereby temporal farming
activities are distributed
→ Need to connect them
toward biomass recycling loop
33/35

34. Rerated major publications
Hara, Y., Furutani, T., Murakami, A., Palijon, A.M. and Yokohari, M. (2011):
Current organic waste recycling and the potential for local recycling
through urban agriculture in Metro Manila. Waste Management &
Research (In Press).
Hara, Y., Hiramatsu, A., Honda, R., Sekiyama, M. and Matsuda, H. (2010): Mixed
land-use planning on the periphery of large Asian Cities: The case of
Nonthaburi Province, Thailand. Sustainability Science 5, 237-248.
Honda, R., Hara, Y., Sekiyama, M. and Hiramatsu, A. (2010): Impacts of housing
development on nutrients flow along canals in a peri-urban area of
Bangkok, Thailand. Water Science and Technology 61, 1073-1080.
Hiramatsu, A., Hara, Y., Sekiyama, M., Honda, R. and Chiemchaisri, C. (2009):
Municipal solid waste flow and waste generation characteristics in an
urban-rural fringe area in Thailand. Waste Management & Research 27,
951-960.
(If you are interested in having offprints, let me know)
34/35

35. Thank you!
35/35