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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Introduction to Grant Projects

NPO Advanced Chemicals Master Data System for Educational and Scientific Institutions (ACSES)

Environmental security training for agricultural work and unused agrochemical collection support project

Activity grant

Project Description

In order to create a sustainable society and secure a safe food supply, it is crucial to have a secure environment for agriculture, trust in agricultural products, and low environmental risk from agrochemicals. Although agrochemical use in Japan is managed by a registration system, producers do not have a sufficient understanding of the risks these chemicals can pose to their health and environmental security. There is also no system in place for agrochemical collection and disposal, and ACSES is currently conducting research to clarify the substantial amount of agrochemicals sitting unused. This project aims to provide agrochemical users such as farmers with opportunities to learn about the risks, and support the appropriate collection and disposal of unused chemicals. Specifically, this will involve providing a website and courses containing information on agrochemical risk, creating regional models to support investigations into the unused agrochemical situation, and aid discussions regarding concrete methods for regular collection.

Fields
Marine resources/foodPreservation of surface soil and forestsPreservation of biodiversity and ecosystem
Grant year
FY2010 Activity Grants
Grant term
3 years
October 2010 - September 2013
Grant amount
8,955,000 yen
Activity region
Kyoto and surrounding areas, Japan
A liaison meeting for parties responsible for managing chemical materials, including universities from across Japan

Overview of the Organization

Tomomi Kinoshita, Director
Representative
Tomomi Kinoshita, Director
Establishment
2008
Establishment purpose
Chemical materials are a primary cause of environmental problems and industrial accidents. Furthermore, the risk and hazardous properties of the majority of chemical materials on sale continue to be unverified in practice.
ACSES was founded to cooperate with Japan's major universities and other parties to prevent the reoccurence of environmental problems and industrial accidents caused by chemical materials by (1) promoting the comprehensive, safe and appropriate management of chemical materials, and (2) aiding and supporting the implementation of education and instruction initiatives aimed at cultivating individuals with the awareness to prevent these occurences.
Main area of activity
Japan
Staff
2 full-time staff members, 45 member organizations
Annual operating budget
400,000 yen in 2007, 6.74 million yen in 2008
WEB site
http://www.kyokanet.jp/
Recent activities
Main activities currently being implemented:
  • (1) Awareness-raising, training, and educational initiatives regarding the safe handling and management of chemical materials
  • (2) Various consultation, instruction, information sharing, and support initiatives encouraging the comprehensive, safe and appropriate management of chemical materials
  • (3) Establishing and providing operational support for liaison conferences where parties involved in managing chemical materials can collaborate and exchange information
  • (4) Creating, updating and sharing a database of publically available chemical products for comprehensive management and shared use