The JIRCAS 50th Anniversary International Symposium “The role of international collaboration in agricultural research to address challenges in the post-COVID-19 global food system” video has been released online. 

The video featuring each session of the symposium is available at:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd_qmyirYdYordCpUoOqk8QGXDAaCBsxS

During the symposium, participants sent questions online related to the contents of the presentations and the panel discussion. The questions and replies are listed below (questions addressed to specific speaker or individual activities were answered by the person in charge).

Q1: How do you deal with on-going works/experiments/management/banking etc. overseas while Japanese researchers cannot travel to the experimental sites?            

A1: JIRCAS keeps communications with our counterparts for moving our on-going projects ahead towards having conclusions. JIRCAS hopes that we can resume international travels as soon as the situation allows. Also, we are currently planning the next round of 5-year research plan which will start in April 2021. 

Q2: Unfortunately, this was really one-way communication.  Well, I look forward to seeing 2-way-communication. Good luck! JIRCAS.

A2: Thank you for the comment, will keep it in mind for future planning of online events.

Q3: Dr. Iiyama showed current yields are only around 10% in west Africa and central Africa. Why are they only around 10%? How can we get over them?       

A3: We believe farmers are facing various biophysical and socio-economic constraints to adopt optimal technologies. Not only the availability of technologies but also addressing biophysical and socio-economic factors attributing to low yields are essential for successful interventions.  

Q4: To supply enough food for the world population while mitigating greenhouse gases, it seems that world people have to reduce our meat, fish consumption. How can science contribute to change people's food customs?   

A4: We believe that it will be critical to have enabling policies in place to provide right incentives for people to shift to healthy diets along with education to raise awareness.

Q5: Will the presentation materials be available?　

A5: Please see the video links. In case you want to have slides for specific presentations, please contact JIRCAS

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Research Strategy Office)