• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2019.05a
• /
• pp.232-232
• /
• 2019

The persistence of drought periods and water scarcity is a growing public concern, as climate change projections indicate a more critical scenario in the future. The sustainability of water resources for the increasing population, and to ensuring crop production will unarguably be a daunting task for the water resources managers, with a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050 as well as the need to increase food production by 70 to 100%. Consequently, there is a need for significant irrigation water use for more crop production in the face of stiff competition among water users. However, the available natural resources are already over-constrained, and the allocation of more resources for food production is not feasible. Currently, about two-thirds of global water withdrawer is used by the agricultural sector while 48% of water resources in Korea is used for agricultural production. Despite the apparent ecological deficit and unfavorable conditions of resources utilization, a staggering amount of food waste occurs in the country. Moreover, wastage of food translates to waste of all the resources involved in the food production including water resources. Food waste can also be considered a serious potential for economic and environmental problems. Hence, exploring an alternative approach to efficient resources utilization in a more sustainable way can ensure considerable resources conservation. We hypothesized that reducing food waste will decline the demand for food production and consequently reduce the pressure on water resources. We investigated the food wastage across the food supply chain using the top-down datasets based on the FAO mass balance model. Furthermore, the water footprint of the estimated food wastage was assessed using the representative of selected food crops. The study revealed that the average annual food wastage across the food supply chain is 9.05 million tonnes, signifying 0.51 kg/capita/day and 48% of domestic food production. Similarly, an average of 6.29 Gm3 per annum of water resources was lost to food wastage, which translates to 40% of the total allotted water resources for agriculture in the country. These considerable resources could have been conserved or efficiently used for other purposes. This study demonstrated that zero food waste generation would significantly reduce the impact on freshwater resources and ensure its conservation. There is a need for further investigation on the food waste study using the bottom-up approach, specifically at the consumer food waste, since the top-down approach is based on estimations and many assumptions were made.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2019.05a
• /
• pp.408-408
• /
• 2019

The persistence of drought periods and water scarcity is a growing public concern, as climate change projections indicate a more critical scenario in the future. The sustainability of water resources for the increasing population, and to ensuring crop production will unarguably be a daunting task for the water resources managers, with a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050 as well as the need to increase food production by 70 to 100%. Consequently, there is a need for significant irrigation water use for more crop production in the face of stiff competition among water users. However, the available natural resources are already over-constrained, and the allocation of more resources for food production is not feasible. Currently, about two-thirds of global water withdrawer is used by the agricultural sector while 48% of water resources in Korea is used for agricultural production. Despite the apparent ecological deficit and unfavorable conditions of resources utilization, a staggering amount of food waste occurs in the country. Moreover, wastage of food translates to waste of all the resources involved in the food production including water resources. Food waste can also be considered a serious potential for economic and environmental problems. Hence, exploring an alternative approach to efficient resources utilization in a more sustainable way can ensure considerable resources conservation. We hypothesized that reducing food waste will decline the demand for food production and consequently reduce the pressure on water resources. We investigated the food wastage across the food supply chain using the top-down datasets based on the FAO mass balance model. Furthermore, the water footprint of the estimated food wastage was assessed using the representative of selected food crops. The study revealed that the average annual food wastage across the food supply chain is 9.05 million tonnes, signifying 0.51 kg/capita/day and 48% of domestic food production. Similarly, an average of $6.29Gm^3$ per annum of water resources was lost to food wastage, which translates to 40% of the total allotted water resources for agriculture in the country. These considerable resources could have been conserved or efficiently used for other purposes. This study demonstrated that zero food waste generation would significantly reduce the impact on freshwater resources and ensure its conservation. There is a need for further investigation on the food waste study using the bottom-up approach, specifically at the consumer food waste, since the top-down approach is based on estimations and many assumptions were made.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.69-78
• /
• 2015

Recently, the importance of efficient resource management has been highlighted due to the uncertainty of its security. Developed countries promote the legislative provision and transition of industrial structure to maximize the efficiency of resource use through supporting the sustainable resource management at national level. Meanwhile Korea has very sensitive industrial structure along with the international resource supply and demand conditions. It is acutely necessary to improve the resource productivity with the various action plans such as the increase of recycling rate and the establishment of methodical resource management system. Especially, the study on the direction of each flow stage and the concrete action plans for using resource efficiently in the life-cycle of resource will be required. Therefore, this study suggests the future direction of each flow stage(production stage and circulatory stage), and the concrete action plans to improve the present problems of resource management in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.1286-1294
• /
• 2011

This paper reviews the future directions and perspectives on the soil environmental researches in the 21 century. Previously, the principal emphasis of soil environmental researches had put on the enhancement of food and fiber productions. Beside the basic function of soil, however, the societal needs on soil resources in the 21st century have demands for several environmental and social challenges, occurring regionally or globally. Typical global issues with which soil science should deal include food security with increasing agronomic production to meet the exploding world population growth, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, increase of the carbon sequestration, supply of the biomass and bioenergy, securing the water resource and quality, protection of environmental pollution, enhancing the biodiversity and ecosystem health, and developing the sustainable farming/cropping system that improve the use efficiency of water and agricultural resources. These challenges can be solved through the sustainable crop production intensification (SCPI) or plant welfare concept in which soil plays a key role in solving the abovementioned global issues. Through implementation of either concept, soil science can fulfill the goal of the modern agriculture which is the sustainable production of crops while maintaining or enhancing the ecosystem function, quality and health. Therefore, directions of the future soil environmental researches should lie on valuing soil as an ecosystem services, translating research across both temporal and spatial scales, sharing and using data already available for other purposes, incorporating existing and new technologies from other disciplines, collaborating across discipline, and translating soil research into information for stakeholders and end users. Through the outcomes of these approaches, soil can enhance the productivity from the same confined land, increase profitability, conserve natural resource, reduce the negative impact on environment, enhance human nutrition and health, and enhance natural capital and the flow of ecosystem services. Soil is the central dogma, final frontier and new engine for the era of sustainability development in the $21^{st}$ century and thus soil environmental researches should be carried according to this main theme.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.842-848
• /
• 2020

Purpose: It is important to operate safely and economically in obsolescent power plant facilities. Economical operation is related in the balance of the supply and demand. Safety operation predicts the possible risks in the facilities and then, takes measures to the facilities. For the monitoring of the power plant facilities, we needs several kinds of the sensing system. From the sensors data, we can predict the possible risk. Method: We installed the acoustic, vibration, electric and smoke sensors in the power plant facilities. Using the data, we developed 3 kinds of prediction models, such as, demand prediction, plant engine abnormal prediction model, and risk prediction model. Results: Accuracy of the demand prediction model is over 90%. The other models make a stable operation of the system. Conclusion: For the sustainable operation of the obsolescent power plant, we developed 3 kinds of AI prediction models. The model apply to JB company's power plant facilities.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2023.05a
• /
• pp.184-184
• /
• 2023

Globally, agriculture is one of the largest consumers and polluters of water resources, contributing to the unsustainable use of limited water resources. To reduce the resource use and environmental footprints associated with current and future food systems, researchers and policy makers have recommended the transition to sustainable and healthier diets and the reduction of food loss and waste along the food supply chain. However, there is limited information on the synergistic effects and trade-offs of adopting the two measures. In this study, we assessed the water-saving potential of the two measures in South Korea using environmentally extended input-output relying on the EXIOBASE database for the reference year 2020, along with scenario analysis to model the potential outcomes. Specifically, we analyzed scenarios where meat consumption was reduced by 30% and 50% and in combination with a 50% reduction in food waste at the consumption stage for each scenario. According to our findings, by considering individual measures of dietary change and food waste reduction, shifting to a diet with 30% and 50% less meat consumption could lead to reduction in water footprint by 6.9% and 7.5%, respectively, while 50% reduction in food waste at the consumption stage could save about 14% of water footprint. However, the synergistic effects of the two measures such as 30% less meat consumption and 50% food waste reduction, and 50% less meat consumption and 50% food waste reduction result to 20% and 24% reductions in water footprint, respectively. Moreover, our findings also showed that increasing food consumption with high environmental impacts could promote resources use inefficiency when waste occurs. Thus, policy strategies that address synergistic effects of both dietary change and food waste reduction should be strengthened to achieve sustainable food system. International and national policies can increase resource efficiency by utilizing all available reduction potentials while considering strategies interactions.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.66 no.2
• /
• pp.279-294
• /
• 2024

Agriculture has played a significant role in the national economy, contributing to food security, driving economic growth, and safeguarding the dietary habits of the population. Korean agriculture has been compelled to focus on intensive farming due to its limited cultivation area, excessive input costs, and the limitations of agricultural mechanization. In the Republic of Korea (R.O.K), the concept of environmentally friendly animal agriculture began to be introduced in the early 2000s. This concept ultimately aims to cultivate sustainable animal agriculture (SAA) through environmentally friendly production practices, ensuring the healthy rearing of animals to supply safe animal products. Despite the government's efforts, there are still significant challenges in implementing environmentally friendly agriculture and SAA in the R.O.K. Therefore, the objective of this review is to establish the direction that the animal agriculture sector should take in the era of climate crisis, and to develop effective strategies for SAA tailored to the current situation in the R.O.K by examining the trends in SAA in the U.S. The animal agriculture sector in the U.S. has been working towards creating a SAA system where humans, animals, and the environment can coexist through government initiatives, industry research, technological support, and individual efforts. Efforts have been made to reduce emissions like carbon, and improve factors affecting the environment such as the carbon footprint, odor, and greenhouse gases associated with animal agriculture processes for animals such as cattle and pigs. The transition of the U.S. towards SAA appears to be driven by both external goals related to addressing climate change and the primary objectives of responding to the demand for safe animal products, expanding consumption, and securing competitiveness in overseas export markets. The demand for animal welfare, organic animal products, and processed goods has been increasing in the U.S. consumer market. A major factor in the transformation of the U.S. animal agriculture sector in terms of livestock specifications is attributed to environmentally friendly practices such as high-quality feed, heat stress reduction, improvements in reproductive ability and growth period reduction, and efforts in animal genetic enhancement.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.106 no.3
• /
• pp.340-352
• /
• 2017

In This study, we examined the gap between supply and demand of forest policy by year through big data analysis for macroscopic evaluation of the 5th Basic Forest Plan. We collected unstructured data based on keywords related to the projects mentioned in the news, SNS and so on in the relevant year for the policy demand side; and based on the documents published by the Korea Forest Service for the policy supply side. based on the collected data, we specified the network structure through the social network analysis technique, and identified the gap between supply and demand of the Korea Forest Service's policies by comparing the network of the demand side and that of the supply side. The results of big data analysis indicated that the network of the supply side is less radial than that of the demand side, implying that various keywords other than forest could considerably influence on the network. Also we compared the trends of supply and demand for 33 keywords related to 27 major projects. The results showed that 7 keywords shows increasing demand but decreasing supply: sustainable, forest management, forest biota, forest protection, forest disease and pest, urban forest, and North Korea. Since the supply-demand gap is confirmed for the 7 keywords, it is necessary to strengthen the forest policy regarding the 7 keywords in the 6th Basic Plan.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.55 no.7
• /
• pp.505-513
• /
• 2022

Recently, uncertainty in predicting available water resources is gradually increasing due to climate change and extreme weather conditions. Social interest in water management such as flood and drought prevention is also increasing, and after the unification of water management implemented in 2018, domestic water management is facing a major turning point. As part of such strengthening of water management capabilities, various studies are being conducted to utilize a hydropower dam for flood control and water supply purposes, which was mainly operated for hydroelectric power generation. However, since the dam evaluation methods developed based on a multi-purpose dam are being applied to hydropower dams, an additional evaluation approach that can consider the characteristics of hydropower dams is required. In this study, a new water supply capacity evaluation method is presented in consideration of the operational characteristics of hydropower dams in terms of water supply, and a connected reservoir simulation method is proposed to evaluate the comprehensive water supply capacity of a dam group operating in a river basin. The presented method was applied to the hydropower dams located in the Bukhan River basin, and the results of the water supply yield of individual dams and multi-reservoir systems were compared and analyzed. In the future, the role of hydropower dams for water supply during drought is expected to become more important, and this study can be used for sustainable domestic water management research using hydropower dams.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.109 no.4
• /
• pp.454-460
• /
• 2020

The goal of this study was to classify the area of Larix kaempferi forest available for timber production, considering the legal, physical, environmental, and technical constraints, and to optimize the forest resources and the potential of timber production in South Korea for 50 years. The results showed that the area of Larix kaempferi forest available for timber production is limited to 124,000 ha, 48% of the total area. Without further efforts in resource management, sustainable timber production of Larix kaempferi cannot be guaranteed even at the current level of timber supply. To enhance the potential of timber production for this species, two alternatives were considered: a 705-km annual increment of forest roads (alternative 1) and a 1,000-kmannual increment of forest roads (alternative 2) to enlarge forest areas available for timber production. The results showed that alternative 1 is feasiblefor sustainable timber production both at the current level and with a 5% increment of timber supply. However, alternative 1 is not sufficient in the case of a 10% increment of timber supply with a low growing stock, whereas alternative 2 is sufficient. Therefore, an increase in forests roads as well as regeneration efforts are required to improve the timber production potential of Larix kaempferi in South Korea.