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Overseas Field Training: Ghana organized by FOLENS office and Thailand, Vietnam and Mozambique with the research supervisor
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Opening session at University of Ghana: Presentation by students on their plan in Ghana, introduction of environmental issues in Japan and home countries |
Sampling and on-site measurement of sediment and exudate water at a dumping site | River water and sediment sampling |
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| Visit and sampling at a medium-scale gold mining site | Visit to JICA Project for Sustainable Development of Rain-fed Lowland Rice Production with KNUST students |
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| Sample treatment until mid-night | ||
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Serious soil erosion |
Huge timbers were transported: it is a big global issue how to conserve tropical rain forest | Interview to local people in a rural community |
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| Active discussion with local students at both University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | Group photo at University of Ghana |
The Overseas Field Training organized by FOLENS Office titled as “Soil and Water Conservation in Africa: Focusing on Agriculture and Gold Mining Activities in Ghana”, one of the FOLENS major events in 2011, was successfully held from the 5th to 18th of September 2011 with a great support by Prof. John Ofosu-Anim, Prof. Edward Benjamin Sabi, Mr. Patrick Mireku, Mr. Richard Omari Ansong, and Mr. Richard Morton in Universtiy of Ghana, and Prof. Samuel Nii Odai and Mr. Edward in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Seven students (Rola Mahmud, Xiao, Makita Tomoko, Yamaguchi Chihiro, Numajiri Yuta, Miyazaki Yuya and Tetsuda Yosuke) and four faculty staff (Ozaki, Watanabe, Sagehashi, and Ninomiya) participated in the trip. The students’ reports will be updated in our website soon.
Prof. Agyeman in TUAT has also provided a great support; his assistance in contacting counterparts in Ghana and advice on destinations and local conditions made this training possible. We would like to express our deep gratitude to all those who collaborated with us.
We learned about local environmental conditions through an intensive schedule, which included comprehensive lectures by Prof. Ofosu-Anim and Prof. Odai, discussion with local students, and on-site information gathering. Information was collected through observation of sites, collection and analysis of soil, sediment, plant and water samples, conversations and interviews with people such as students, local residents, governmental officers, JICA experts, and a Japanese embassy official. The training facilitated our understanding of local environmental issues and their social background, as well as students’ development of skills and techniques of data collection under the limitation of facilities and a timeframe in the unfamiliar environment. The students’ presentations on environmental conditions of Japan and their home country to Ghanaian students and discussion on the issues with them apparently facilitated their awareness of the importance to face environmental issues as a member of the global society together.
Besides Ghana, three other trips for FOLENS Overseas Field Training were conducted between August and October with a research supervisor of the respective students.
- ?Higuchi Ryo, Kamimura Miu, Aoki Kazuya…Kasetsart University (E&R base), Thailand: Aug., 27th~Sep., 4th (Supervised by Dr. Terada and Dr. Yoneda, Supported by Prof. Poonpipope and Prof. Tiwa)
- ?Antonio Manuel…Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique: Sep., 6th~Oct.,1st (Supervised by Dr. Kimura)
- ?Bui Dung…Vietnam Forestry University, Vietnam: Sep., 5th~Oct., 10th (Supervised by Dr. Gomi)