Strengthening function as an international hub for providing strategic information on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and mobilizing new research partnerships
From March 3 to 4, 2026, the 3rd International Workshop on Sustainable Management of Sugarcane White Leaf Disease was held at Khon Kaen University in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
This workshop was organized based on the contents of the “Healthy Seedcane Propagation and Distribution Manual Against Sugarcane White Leaf Disease,” which was jointly developed by JIRCAS, Khon Kaen University, and the Department of Agriculture of Thailand, and published in 2021 by the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board under Thailand’s Ministry of Industry.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a policy brief titled “Developing and promoting sustainable agricultural production and natural resources management technologies: Lessons from the FAO–JIRCAS collaboration” regarding its collaboration with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). This policy brief introduces recent research achievements by JIRCAS across its programs in environment, food, and information, and systematically summarizes the partnership with FAO.
Long-term soil analyses from intensively managed tropical rice paddies have revealed an unexpected paradox: although soil organic matter continues to accumulate over time, the amount of nitrogen that rice plants can actually use decreases, leading to a gradual decline in soil fertility. The study also identified severe potassium depletion, highlighting the urgent need for new, integrated approaches to water and nutrient management in tropical rice systems.
On 22 April 2026, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a joint report warning that extreme heat is severely affecting the health, livelihoods, and productivity of agricultural workers and is pushing global agrifood systems toward a critical tipping point. The report notes that over the past half century, the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat events have all increased sharply, with risks expected to rise further in the future.
On 24 April 2026, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the likelihood of an El Niño event developing from mid 2026 has increased. Rapidly rising sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are becoming evident and are expected to have significant impacts on global temperature and rainfall patterns.
In recent years, the increasing damage caused by typhoons and hurricanes may be linked to unusual changes in ocean conditions. A study published in Science Advances shows that when prolonged anomalously high ocean temperatures—known as marine heat waves—coincide with the rapid intensification of tropical cyclones, the likelihood of causing billion-dollar disasters increases by approximately 60%. As the oceans continue to warm, the need to reassess and strengthen disaster preparedness has become increasingly urgent.
The planet on which we live is now sending clear, if quiet, warning signs of crisis. As we face the realities of oceans filled with plastic, increasingly frequent extreme heat and natural disasters, and the accelerating loss of biodiversity, there is a growing need to listen to the message from Mother Earth and to take action toward a future in harmony with nature.