*Doto is the eastern region of Hokkaido.
Organized by the General Incorporated Association Doto SDGs Promotion Council
The Doto Carbon Farming Study Group, a collaborative initiative among local communities, residents and dairy manufacturers, has been established with the aim of making the dairy farming industry decarbonized. As part of its initial activities, a survey on ranch soil carbon sink will start in September 2023 in Betsukai Town, Japan’s largest milk-producer.
Recently, the Hokkaido Prefectural Government established the Hokkaido Carbon Farming Promotion Council to promote more decarbonization of Hokkaido's agriculture. In line with this effort, the Doto SDGs Promotion Council (Chair: Katsushi Nakayama), Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Kazuo Kawamura) and Meiji Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Katsuya Matsuda) (hereinafter the latter two will be referred to as the Meiji Group) have founded the Doto Carbon Farming Study Group (located in Betsukai Town, Hokkaido) in order to evaluate, research and implement Carbon Farming (*1), a farming approach that decarbonizes dairy production and contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To carry out this pioneering initiative, Betsukai Town (Mayor: Kozo Sone), the highest-volume milk producer in Japan, was chosen as the focus area.
■ Study Group composed of members of Hokkaido Carbon Farming Promotion Council (*2) The Doto Carbon Farming Study Group, a collaborative initiative among local communities, residents and dairy manufacturers, has been established with the aim of making the dairy farming industry decarbonized. As part of its initial activities, a survey on ranch soil carbon sink will start in September 2023 in Betsukai Town, Japan’s largest milk-producer. This marks the first collaborative effort for sustainable dairy farming in Japan, involving loc al communities, residents and dairy manufacturers, and on-site practices of Carbon Farming will suggest how the future dairy farming should be.
On May 25, 2023, the Hokkaido Agricultural Bureau launched the Hokkaido Carbon Farming Promotion Council as the platform for information exchange and collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, including government, industry and academia.
The Doto SDGs Promotion Council, the Meiji Group and Betsukai Town (offering its land for the Carbon Farming pilot program), are all members of the Council.
Also, at the Council, business corporations are serving the following roles: TREE Co., Ltd.: the secretariat, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.: the soil surveyor and analyzer, 4CYCLE Co., Ltd.: the information manager. Thus, the Doto Carbon Farming Study Group is a collaborative initiative of the members of the Hokkaido Carbon Farming Promotion Council.
■ Main Figures of the Doto CF Study Group ● General Incorporated Association Doto SDGs Promotion Council Founded in 2018 in Doto(eastern Hokkaido), the heart of Japan's milk production, the voluntary organization has dedicated to promoting SDGs to the local community. In June 2023, it took another step to expand its activities by changing its status to a general incorporated association.
・ Location: 307-2 Nakasyunbetsu, Betsukai-cho, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido, Japan
・ Representatives: Chairman Katsushi Nakayama
(Representative: Director and Chairman of Nakayama Farm Co., Ltd.)
・ Secretary General Teruji Yamamoto
(Representative Director of Yamamoto Farm)
・ Establishment: June 2023
● The Meiji Group Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd. and its affiliated company, Meiji Co., Ltd., engaged in food business, are the members of the Doto CF Study Group. By utilizing the outcomes of this research initiative, the Meiji Group has set two goals: first, to encourage dairy farmers in Hokkaido and across Japan to adopt Carbon Farming, leading to less greenhouse gas emissions in dairy farming, and second, to build a sustainable supply chain, where consumers take a part, through the production and distribution of dairy products. ・ Location: 4-16 Kyobashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
・ Representative: President and CEO Kazuo Kawamura
・ Establishment: April 2009
● Betsukai Town, Hokkaido (Promotion Support Observer) Betsukai Town is located in the central part of the Nemuro Subprefecture in eastern Hokkaido. The town covers an area of 1,319.63 square kilometers (equivalent to 28,077 Tokyo Domes), spanning 61.4 km from east to west and 44.3 km from north to south, and has a population of 14,273 people as of the end of June 2023. It is a dairy farming kingdom with over 20% of its population engaged in agriculture, a total of 659 dairy farming households, 119,125 head of cattle and the milk production volume of 502,638 tons (based on the actual data of 2022). ・ Location: 280 Betsukai Tokiwacho, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido, Japan
・ Representative: Mayor Kozo Sone
▷ URL: https://betsukai.jp/
▷ TEL: 0153-75-2111
● Academic Advisors As academic advisors to offer scientific insights into soil and to establish the circular farming method, Professor Takuro Shinano of Hokkaido University, and Mr. Shunsuke Managi, Chairman of the General Incorporated Association Natural Capital, have joined the Study Group. Their expertise will
contribute to incorporating Carbon Farming into a new societal system and creating offset credits.
● Observers: Hokkaido Agricultural Administration Department, Food Safety Promotion Bureau, Food Policy Division/Zero Carbon Promotion Bureau, Zero Carbon Industry Division
As part of efforts to decarbonize Hokkaido's agriculture, the two divisions will serve as observers.
・ Location: Nishi 6-chome, Kita 3-jo, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City
■ Starting from Soil Surveys in Betsukai Town, Top Milk Producer in Japan Betsukai Town (Mayor: Kozo Sone) boasts its status as the nation's leading milk producer with a remarkable volume of 502,638 tons (2022). Mr. Nakayama, Chair of the Doto CF Study Group, is one of the owners of farmland in this town. The Study Group is going to conduct soil surveys at various locations in Betsukai, the very heartland of Japanese dairy farming. The outcomes of these analyses will be compared with the "Basic Survey on Soil Carbon Storage in Farmland" conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (*3). Additionally, investigations and evaluations of carbon sinks of pasturelands will be done to know how much the pasture soil can absorb carbon. This process will lead to the rediscovery of the value of dairy farming soil, and finally to the Japanese-style Carbon Farming, where the value becomes even greater. 《Statement from Mayor Kozo Sone of Betsukai Town》 "I firmly believe that we have to scientifically demonstrate that dairy farming has already made contributions to decarbonization. So, I expect people to know more about how much the grassland absorb CO2 annually. "
■ Future Outlook: Promote Doto Carbon Farming Model and Advocate Food Sustainability On July 14, 2023, various companies and organizations gathered in Betsukai Town to share their visions for decarbonization and future activities. 2023, the first year, is for preparation for spreading the concept of Carbon Farming, and soil analyses will be conducted in Betsukai Town to measure the carbon sink of the existing dairy farming industry. Based on the survey results, what kind of decarbonization approach is suitable for the area's characteristics will be discussed, with the goal of initiating Carbon Farming trials in 2024. By the end of 2026, leveraging the insights gained from the trials and through carbon credit mechanisms, the Doto Carbon Farming Model will be shared, making it accessible for dair y farmers in the Doto region, throughout Hokkaido and all over Japan. And by 2030, the l ast year of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this model will be promoted as the Japan-originated approach to sustainable dairy farming.
(*1) Carbon Farming is an agricultural practice aimed to improve soil quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by having the soil absorb the atmospheric CO2. This practice has gained attention because it means agriculture, forestry, and livestock industries can mitigate and absorb CO2. In 2021, the European Commission released the results of its two-year study conducted from 2018, focused on creating schemes to promote Carbon Farming. Reference: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) document Report on Carbon Farming Final Report (March 2023)
(*2) Hokkaido Government’s Hokkaido Carbon Farming Promotion Council
▷ https://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ns/shs/clean/148792.html Contact: Hokkaido Government Agricultural Policy Division, Food Safety Promotion Bureau, ▷ Tel: 011-204-5431
(*3) As a signatory of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Japan is obligated to report its national greenhouse gas absorption and emission data to the convention secretariat annually. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) conducts surveys to collect necessary data for reporting greenhouse gas absorption and emission of agricultural and grassland soils. Reference: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries document Basic Survey on Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural and Grassland Soils. ▷ https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisan/kankyo/tuti_chyosa.html
《 Profile of Chairman, General Incorporated Association Doto SDGs Promotion Council》 ● Katsushi Nakayama Representative Director and Chairman of Nakayama Farm Co., Ltd., and Chairman of the General Incorporated Association Doto SDGs Promotion Council. Nakayama Farm, whose mission is "Happiness for People, Happiness for Cows, Happiness for Those Involved," took a pioneering step in the area in 1996, changing from a family-run business to a corporate entity, and started producing its dairy products in an in-house and organized manner. Then, it became a high-profile dairy manufacturer by introducing robotics for barn management and engaging in innovative efforts, including biomass power generation from manure. ・Address: 307-2 Nakasyunbetsu, Betsukai-cho, Notsuke-gun, Hokkaido, 086-0654, Japan ▷ URL: https://www.nakayama-farm.com/ Reference: Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd., Meiji Dairy Advisory - Introduction to Nakayama Farm
《Message from Chairman》 Today, Japan’s dairy farming industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Despite the harsh situation, we, the members of the Study Group, are determined to achieve decarbonization of dairy farming, and safeguard Japan's food environment starting from Hokkaido. We wish to garner support from society for our endeavors in Carbon Farming, and will strive for the activities that not only producers and manufacturers but also consumers can join.
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