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Pick Up955. February 10 is World Pulses Day
Tomorrow, February 10, is World Pulses Day. In this issue of Pick Up, we would like to introduce some reports on pulses by FAO. -
Pick Up954. The Economics of Food System Transformation
At the end of January, a distinguished group of researchers specializing in the economics of climate change, health and nutrition, agriculture, and natural resources collaborated on a global policy report entitled "The Economics of the Food System Transformation". The report calls for urgent change, stating that the negative impact of the food system on human and global health is estimated at over $10 trillion annually, more than the food system's contribution to global GDP.
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Pick Up953. Extreme Cold Waves Can Occur Even Under Global Warming
Earlier this week, the Kanto region was hit by cold weather, with heavy snow warnings issued for parts of Tokyo. World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, said that the extreme cold that hit northern Europe in early January 2024 could also occur under warming, but with decreasing frequency, it could increase the vulnerability risk of societies that cannot anticipate cold waves. -
Pick Up952. January 2024 World Food Price Index
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Trends on February 2, with January 2024 averaging 118.0 points, down 1.2 points (1.0%) from the previous month, reflecting lower grain and meat prices, which offset higher sugar prices. The price index was 13.7 points (10.4%) lower than a year earlier.
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Pick Up951. Solving Water Shortage ～ Expansion and Diversification of Water Resources
Water scarcity is becoming a serious problem in many countries around the world. More innovative and sustainable ways of securing, managing and conserving water resources are needed. Today we present an article published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
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Pick Up950. February 3 is "Soybean Day"
Tomorrow is Soybean Day, a celebration deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition of “setsubun”, which is observed as the day before the arrival of spring. In commemoration of Soybean Day, today's feature highlights the importance of soybeans in Japan and around the world. The spotlight extends to ongoing soybean research at JIRCAS, offering insights into the crop's status and impact.
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Pick Up949. Rice Self-sufficiency in Africa
Today we would like to share with you an article in Nature Communications by Dr. Kazuki Saito, who is closely associated with the International Agricultural Research Institute, entitled "Intensifying rice production to reduce imports and land conversion in Africa".
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Pick Up948. Trends and Outlook of Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio ― Toward Revision of the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas
A bill to revise the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas, which sets the basic direction of Japan's agricultural policy, is scheduled to be submitted to the 2024 ordinary Diet session for deliberation.
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Pick Up947. Planetary Commons
The renowned researchers who proposed the Planetary Boundary concept have proposed a new concept, Planetary Commons, calling for the need for Earth system governance to restore and strengthen the Earth's resilience and justice.
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Pick Up946. What Will Humans Eat in the Future? – From Research in Food and Humans in Space
Join us on February 2 for the "Friday Night Science Café" hosted by the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, in collaboration with JIRCAS (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
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Pick Up945. Climate Change Primary Cause of Drought in Amazon Basin
World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, released an analysis on January 24 showing that climate change, not El Niño, is the primary cause of the extreme drought in Brazil's Amazon Basin.
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Pick Up944. Toward Nutritional Supply in Response to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
Today's Pick up presents a paper (Jennings et al. 2024) that simultaneously assesses climate-smart agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Diversifying agricultural production and improving crop productivity are considered essential.
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Pick Up943. Recent Food Prices and the State of the Food Supply Chain
According to the World Bank's Food Security blog, domestic food prices have remained high in many countries, with food price inflation essentially outpacing overall inflation. Meanwhile, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) blog examines the impact of worsening security problems in the Middle East on the food supply chain.
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Pick Up942. Arctic Cold Wave
In mid-January 2024, Europe and the United States were hit by an Arctic blast while the rest of the world experienced a mild winter. The polar vortex, which normally stays in the Arctic sky due to the meandering of the jet stream caused by global warming, has been pointed out as the reason why Arctic cold waves have become more likely to occur in recent years.
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Pick Up941. Oceans Break Heat Records for Fifth Consecutive Year
Due to a strong El Niño event, sea surface temperatures reached a record high in 2023, with an annual average about 0.23°C higher than in 2022.The Nature editorial cites an international collaborative study that shows the ocean is warming at a record rate every year since 2019, driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which have increased every year since 2019.
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Pick Up940. Biodiversity at Risk Due to Climate Change
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, more than 6,000 species of animals, fungi, and plants are at risk of extinction due to climate change. Intensive agriculture has been identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity loss, but a recent systematic review published in npj Biodiversity concludes that the choice of agricultural practices adapted to local conditions will be critical for biodiversity conservation in future food systems.
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Pick Up939. Maintaining Optimism in the Fight Against Climate Change
With several organizations announcing that 2023 was the hottest year on record, Nature Climate Change magazine looks back on the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Dubai late last year, and argues that we should not lose hope in progress against climate change.
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Pick Up938. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024
In January, the United Nations released its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024 report. According to the report, the global economic situation will remain bleak in 2024, and it emphasized the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation to overcome the complex global economic situation and achieve the SDGs.
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Pick Up937. Disproportionate Climate Impacts on Natural Capital
Natural capital, which represents natural resources that provide benefits to people now and in the future, such as clean air and water, healthy forests and diverse ecosystems, is being affected by climate change, with substantial losses of ecosystem services worldwide by 2100. Negative impacts are regressive and may weigh more heavily on vulnerable countries. Today we present the main points of a recent research paper on regional and national declines in natural capital and their disproportionate impacts.
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Pick Up936. Video of the TICAD 30th Anniversary Official Side Event "Toward Building a Sustainable and Resilient Food System in Africa"
On December 1, 2023, JIRCAS hosted a hybrid official TICAD 30th anniversary side event, "Toward Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems in Africa". We are pleased to announce that the video of the seminar is now available on the JIRCAS website. Please take a look.