Comparative research on the diversity of human activities harmonized with agro-eco resources and the environment

本项目的主要目标是开展农业和农村社会多样性及生态系统多功能性评价的实证研究。为此，我们设置了四个主题进行分析，即(1)农业生态资源的保留与相互作用；(2)农业和农村利用农业生态资源活动的多样性；(3)农业生态资源利用对环境的影响；(4)人类活动与农业生态系统之间的可持续性分析。我们通过环境经济学和生态经济学的技术来评估这种多样性和多功能性。此外，我们还在日本和国外进行了实地研究，以加强分析。本研究的主要特点是评估农业和农业生态资源对环境的影响。为此目的，已经从理论上和经验上发展了一些程序。我们回顾和讨论了环境经济评价的主要技术。此外，我们还将这种方法应用于现实世界的例子，以便为环境和区域措施提出建议。本项目采用的技术包括条件评估法和联合分析等既定偏好方法、生命周期评估、环境核算以及生态经济学中的各种方法，如生态足迹和能量流分析。该项目的成果载于北海道大学出版社2008年3月出版的《农业环境经济评价——多功能、环境核算和生态》一书中。

The main goal of this project is to carry out empirical researches on evaluating the diversity of agriculture and rural society as well as the multi-functionality of ecosystems. To this end, we set up four subjects for analysis, namely, (1) reservation of and interactions among agro-eco resources, (2) the diversity of agricultural and rural activities utilizing agro-eco resources, (3) impacts on the environment resulted from utilizing agro-eco resources, and (4) a sustainability analysis between human activities and agro-ecosystem. We have evaluated such diversity and multi-functionality through the techniques of environmental economics and ecological economics. Additionally, we have conducted field researches both in Japan and abroad to enhance the analysis. The main feature of this research is to evaluate the impact from agriculture and agro-eco resources on the environment. For this purpose, a number of procedures have been developed both theoretically and empirically. We have reviewed and discussed major techniques in economic evaluation of the environment. In addition, we have applied such methods to real world examples to make proposals for environmental and regional measures. The techniques employed in this project include the stated preference methods such as the Contingent Valuation Method and the Conjoint Analysis, the Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Accounts and various approaches in ecological economics like Ecological Footprint and Energy Flow Analysis. The outcomes of the project are contained in the book "Economic Evaluation of Agro-Environment -Multi-functionality, Environmental Accounts and Ecology-", published from the Hokkaido University Press in March 2008.