Manqing Zhang
Osaka University,Japan
Title: The Cyclic Utilization of Biogas Slurry in China's Rural Area
Biography
Biography: Manqing Zhang
Abstract
The problem of the treatment of biogas slurry has always been highly valued in agronomy and environmental engineering, while the accumulation of research in the socio-economic field is not much. Our research team explores why biogas slurry cannot be accepted as organic fertilizers in modern rural society of China from social dimension. The Chinese central government has vigorously propagated the biogas technology and supported large-scale and standardization of the livestock farm. In recent years, policies such as the division of livestock prohibition areas has also been implemented strictly. Large-scale and intensified production helps to defense capabilities and can increase production efficiency. Moreover, under the standardization transformation, biogas facilities have been popularized, which helps solve the pollution of livestock waste.
However, biogas slurry after digestion still cause significant pollution. We conducted field surveys in six livestock farms in Anhui Province, Zhejiang Province, and Hebei Province in March 2017 and March 2018, collecting a large amount of qualitative and quantitative data. According to our investigation, we found that some large-scale farms have completely realized the cyclic utilization of the biogas slurry for organic fertilizers. We have suggested that this is due to the existence of deep-rooted, allocation of resources method called the social network or informal institution. The social network is such as familiar relations, an ethic or custom. Unlike the utilitarianism mentioned in traditional economics, social network contribute to efficiency of the resources placement, especially in the situation of uniting the livestock farmers and land planters to achieve a cyclic utilization.