Affiliation:
Tottori University
Mailing address:
Arid Land Research Center,
Tottori University, Hamasaka 1390, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
E-Mail: alrc@alrc.tottori-u.ac.jp
Phone: 81-857-23-3411
Fax: 81-857-29-6199
Mandate
The mandate of the ALRC is to conduct research on desertification, to help people in arid areas and to develop sustainable agricultural practices.
Location
The Center is located on the Tottori Sand Dunes in the westernmost region of the largest island of Japan.
Short history
In 1923, the Agricultural Collage of Tottori, the predecessor of Tottori University’s current Faculty of Agriculture established the Sand Dune Research Experimental Station. In 1958, the Government approved the creation of the Sand Dune Research Institute as an annex of the Faculty of Agriculture of Tottori University. In 1990, the Institute was renamed the Arid Land Research Center of Tottori University, which focuses on comprehensive dryland research, and the Center was established as a National Joint-use Research Facility of Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Organization
As of October 2008, the Center constitutes 12 faculty members, 10 researchers, 16 technical and administrative staff and 40 students as well as seven visiting scientists and 17 internal visiting faculty members. There are five research divisions, as follows:
- Climatology and Water Resources: Climatology, Meteorology, Irrigation Engineering, Hydrology, Climate Dynamics, River Engineering, Water Management, Groundwater Hydrology, Agricultural Meteorology, Dust Climatology, Soil Hydrology
- Biological Production: Conservation Informatics, Plant Production Science, Plant Ecophysiology, Crop Ecophysiology, Animal Ecology, Crop Physiology, Plant Breeding, Molecular Breeding, Plant Biotechnology, Environmental Chemistry, Plant Nutrition, Protected Cultivation, Plant Ecology
- Afforestration and Land Conservation: Soil Management, Revegetation Science, Landscape Ecology, Pomology, Forest Ecophysiology, Geo-Infomatics, Soil Science, Agroecological Management, Conservation Ecology, Soil Chemistry, Microbial Ecology, Desert Revegetation Science, Soil-water Management
- Socioeconomics: Arid Land Development, Environmental Economics, Regional Economics
- Health and Medicine: Clinical Surgery, Occupational Medicine, Veterinary Pathology, Preventive Medicine