Efficiency of irrigation can be improved in terms of sourcing of irrigation water, distribution and field level use. Site-specific improvements have been introduced, which can serve as models. They include:

1. Sourcing of irrigation water:

- Use of of subsurface water flow in dry riverbeds;

- Use of rainwater harvest from house roofing for small vegetable fields;

- Use of wells with low water discharge in combination with water tower and reservoir to allow for drip irrigation of small orchards and melone fields.

2. Water distribution:

- Lining of irrigation canals with high seepage losses;

- Improved water diversion structures for allocation of optimum water quantities.

3. Efficient irrigation of crops:

- Drip irrigation of various crops, e.g. onion, potato, corn, melon, apple;

- Sprinker irrigation of potato.

The project fostered collaboration amongst organisations to work together on a topic of current global interest, Chain of Custody and Traceability.

The main organisations working on this project were MDPI, an Indonesian implementation NGO, AP2HI, an industry association bringing together progressive handline and pole and line tuna companies and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Smart-Fish Indonesia.

All organisations have a strong interest in ensuring industry progress towards and understanding of traceability, and require strong industry relationships to ensure successful project outcomes. This collaborative project allowed organisations with different backgrounds, interests, expertise and objectives to coordinate and work towards achieving their interests within this field.

This approach allowed us to ensure close collaboration with industry, to get their permission to audit their supply chains and to work directly with them on improvement. The collaboration ensured additional funds were available to be leveraged to broaden the focus of the project from not only Chain of Custody but also on the more general concept of traceability, relevant to increasing market and regulatory demands.

Users of hydrological and meteorological data in Japan have grown significantly in number with the development of new technologies and sectors; from aviation and shipping to public services such as weather forecasting, there is increasing pressure on hydromet services to provide accurate, real-time information.

Today, up-to-date information on severe weather events is provided to the general public by the JMA, in collaboration with central and local disaster management authorities and other key stakeholders. Reaching first responders and the general public is a critical component of Japan’s effective early warning system, and early warnings at the municipality level have improved over the last decade largely in part to better communication and cooperation between stakeholders.

For example, MLIT’s Erosion and Sediment Control Department established a partnership with prefectural governments to promptly issue landslide alert information to at-risk citizens.

The effort to modernize hydrological and meteorological systems in Japan began in the 1950’s and continues to the present day. For example, the JMA Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) is a network of over 1,300 automatic weather stations that was incrementally upgraded from the 1970’s. The system is now capable of collecting data sets from key stations every minute and can deliver information to end-users within 40 seconds. This data serves as a crucial input for early warning systems and enables accurate tracking of weather patterns. Another major milestone has been the series of Geostationary Meteorological Satellites (Himawari-1 to Himawari-8) which have further strengthened hydromet services in not only Japan, but across the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, the Japan Meteorological Business Support Center (JMBSC) and the Foundation of River & Basin Integrated Communications (FRICS) work to ensure the broader use of hydromet data by municipalities, the general public, and private sector actors.

Key institutions in Japan’s hydromet landscape have evolved since the 1950’s. For example, hydrological institutions have undergone several changes, such as after the enactment of the 1964 River Law Act (revised version). This law required authorities tasked with managing rivers to adhere to integrated river basin management principles, as opposed to more area-focused disaster management practices that were prevalent prior to this (e.g., shifting from circle levees, which only protect the builder’s community, to continuous levees, which ensure more equitable protection for the wider population). As for meteorological services, the regulatory framework was established under the Meteorological Service Act of 1952, which designated the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as the authoritative body responsible for issuing emergency warnings.

In terms of legal framework, Japan’s laws assign clear roles and responsibilities for the National Hydrological Service (WDMB/MLIT), the National Meteorological Service (JMA), and other key stakeholders to ensure effective coordination.

The national government provides local governments with additional subsidies for seismic retrofitting and reconstruction of schools with insufficient seismic capacity. In principle, national subsidies for retrofitting and reconstruction cover one-third of associated costs for public elementary and junior high schools, but the national share has been raised to two-thirds and one-half respectively in 2008 under the Act on Special Measures for Earthquake Disaster Countermeasures. Furthermore, additional sources of funding were generated through local bonds and local tax allocation by local governments. In Shizuoka prefecture, located in the Tokai area where earthquake probability is high, the local government increased corporate income tax by 7-10 percent for 15 years to allocate budget for making public buildings more earthquake resistant. Kushiro municipality’s retrofitting completion rate remained at 50 percent for a decade due to lack of funds, however, this increased the rate to 85.8 percent within 3 years of introducing the PFI system.

For revival, Airin district needed bottom-up approach, which aims to put emphasis on local residents’ actions and listen to them and relevant organizations, departing from a traditional method of governmental organizations-led decision making. The district started an urban regeneration forum led by a public entity in late 1990s to facilitate discussion and dialogue among different stakeholders, which is followed by various community institutions funded to foster communication by involving all interested groups.

Nishinari ward office plays not only coordination mechanism but works as a part of the team aiming to develop Airin District. Airin was indeed a lagging district, and the level of mistrust was extremely deep. The local authority was therefore conscious of offering inclusive service and working with politeness and high respect to residents. It gradually melted the tension. While Mayor Hashimoto largely triggered the reform, the residents kept its implementation through a public-private forum called area management secretariat. 

An initial meeting between the traditional and religious authorities of Mogazang was held to gather all useful information and raise awareness among the population. As a next step, a socio-economic study was carried out in order to understand the potential social, economic and environmental impacts and challenges of the restoration initiative. The elaboration of a map by the community members under the guidance of the advisory team allowed the demarcation of a plot of degraded land (10.74 ha) for restoration. The reforestation initiative aimed at providing firewood, fodder, food products and medicinal plants, among others. The government owns the selected plot, under the supervision of the Executive Bureau for Development of the village. However, it is managed ‘by the people, for the people’.

The aim for designing a marketing plan was to convert customers who used diesel oil to heat their homes and businesses into users of briquettes, firewood or charcoal for energy. The preference during the first stages was given to homes and businesses where the public could witness and try out the new biomass heating system. The document is attached to enable its adaptation to other situations.

The term “dry stone” indicates how the stones constituting the terrace retaining wall are put in place without the use of binders.  The wall has many benefits such as wind protection for some types of crop, while preserving the ecological niche of the numerous species of flora and fauna that colonize the stones, holes and soil of the terraces. It also serves as a passageway for farmers along the strip, interrupting the water runoff flow and favoring water accumulation and infiltration in the soil. It also plays an important role in preventing soil erosion. Abandoned terraces are widely distributed in the western slopes of the site located mainly at altitudes of 1000m to 1200m above sea level. Many terraces are abandoned with significant percentage of collapsed stonewalls that are colonized by natural vegetation forming different successional stages – from small scrub to very dense secondary forest stands. They also act as firebreaks, reducing the risk of fire spread, and providing access and water for firefighting.