Newsletter No 4/October 2009

The conference offered a unique platform to share experience, disseminate technologies and identify development needs in addressing water pollution reduction and climate change mitigation challenges in the livestock sector. It demonstrated the state of the art of livestock waste management technologies, shared view on effective policy instruments, identified synergies and tradeoffs in addressing water pollution and climate change issues in the livestock sector, introduced the clean development mechanism (CDM), and discussed collaboration, constraints, initiatives and perspectives in livestock waste management.

The results and experience gained from the implementation of the LWMEA project in China, Thailand, and Vietnam were presented. The RFO activities and experiences from implementing and facilitating the LWMEA project were also demonstrated.

A field visit was also arranged to the three project demonstration farms in Bolou country:

1 Yihu pig farm
The farm has 1,800 sows and more than 30,000 fattening pigs. A 1,000 m3 anaerobic digestion tank was constructed with support of the project. Approximately 200 m3 of wastewater are treated daily. Roughly 440,000 m3 of biogas are produced annually, and used to generate electricity by a 120 KW generator. After the biogas, the treated water is transported by a 5 ton truck to the nearby crop farm and fish ponds.

2 Luoxing pig farm
The farm has 1,200 sows and 18,000 pig places for fatteners. A 1,000 m3 anaerobic digestion pond and a 300 m3 storage tank were constructed with support of the project. Approximately 150 m3 of wastewater is treated daily. 220,000 m3 of biogas is produced annually and used for electricity generation by a 82 KW generator. The effluent of the biogas digester is discharged into fish ponds, or used as a fertilizer for orange trees.

3 Taimei pig farm and Taimei township
The farm has 2,000 sows and 40,000 fattening pigs. A 3,000 m3 anaerobic digestion pond and a 400 m3 biogas digester were constructed with support of the project. Approximately 350 m3 of wastewater are treated daily. 540,000 m3 of biogas are produced annually and used for cooking by 50 households in the nearby residential area, as well as for generating electricity with a 65 KW generator. The effluent of the biogas digester is treated by aeration and discharge to fish ponds.

Two panel discussions were arranged. The first one was on farmers’ experience in waster pollution reduction and climate change mitigation: awareness and willingness to act; technologies and waste management practices; effects on farm employment and finances; sustainability and replication. The second panel focused on policies for waster pollution reduction and climate change mitigation: impacts on livelihood, competitiveness, development and research programs; role and responsibility of institutions; regional and global collaboration.

More than 150 participants from government offices, development agencies, GEF project implementing entities, private sector, NGO, and academia attended the conference.

Please click here for more information and presentations from the conference.

The fifth Regional Coordination Group Meeting (RCG), meeting was organized in conjunction with the international conference on water pollution reduction and climate change mitigation: the experiences from Livestock Waste Management in East Asia Project. The meeting provided oversight of the project activities in participating countries and the RFO.

In the meeting, Mr Weiguo Zhou, the Task Team Leader from the World Bank, announced that Mr Jiang Ru, the GEF coordinator in Asia and the Pacific, will act as a new project Task Team Leader from October 2009 on. Mr Jiang introduced himself to the RCG members and confirmed the World Bank’s support to the project until the completion in 2010.

Progress of activities in participating countries and the RFO was discussed. The RFO presented the activities and the progress in developing two Decision Support Tools (DST) development: STRAW (Support for the Treatment and Recycling of Animal Wastes) and CoSiMo (Cost of Compliance Simulation Model).

The meeting stressed that countries need to speed up the activities in order to reach the project objective before the project completion in December 2010. The RCG members approved the RFO annual work plan for 2010. The next RCG meeting is planned in May 2010 in Thailand.

Please click here for more information and presentations from the meeting.

Taking note the growing importance of intensive animal production systems in the region, including in Thailand, as well as realizing the growing need to curb the gaseous emissions of the sector, FAO in collaboration with the Sasin Institute for Global Affairs, Sasin Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University (SIGA) conducted the training on the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from intensive production in Thailand during 27-29 July 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The training focused on the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from these sources. It addressed both the technical and policy aspects of livestock production and climate change. Key questions of the greenhouse gas emissions of the livestock sector, as well as the relevant technical options available, were actively discussed throughout the course of the training.

A one-day field trip was arranged on 28 July for participants to visit Kachanaburi Farm in Suphanburi province. Kanchanaburi farm is an integrated farm with 20,000 pig heads. The farm has adopted good farming practices, and environmental and energy saving measures. The farm has a covered lagoon with the generator used for generating the electricity. This helps save 40% of its electricity cost.

The Training was attended by 36 participants from the Department of Livestock Development, academic institutions, private sectors, as well as international organizations.

Please click here for more information and presentations from the training.

The mission team included of Mr. Ge Backus (Senior Economist, Wageningen University), Mr Henning Steinfeld (Chief, AGAL), Mr Pierre Gerber (Livestock respectively Policy Officer, AGAL) and Ms Nawarat Chalermpao (Assistant Coordinator, RFO) visited Thailand, Vietnam and China during 12-17 February 2009 for the second CoSiMo mission.

The team met with policy researchers and policy officers from each country to follow up the data collection and. discuss with them on alternative combinations of environment policy measures.

CoSiMo (Cost of compliance Simulation Model) aims to support the policy formulation of waste management practices. It focuses on the farmer cost of compliance and determines expected consequences of alternative policy options. It supports the ranking of the cost-effectiveness of policies, for officers that advice competent authorities. The next CoSiMo mission will be in early 2010.

For more details, please see the consultants’ report on CoSiMo mission here.