Strengthening function as an international hub for providing strategic information on agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and mobilizing new research partnerships
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.
Kaset Fair 2026, an agricultural exhibition, is being held at Kasetsart University in Thailand from January 30 to February 7, 2026. Kaset Fair, Thailand's largest agricultural and food trade fair, is hosted annually by Kasetsart University. During the event, the university campus hosts a wide variety of exhibits, from research highlights related to the agriculture and food industry to sales of agricultural and food products, attracting many visitors.
Researchers must possess not only the ability to conduct experiments but also the capacity to collect and organize research-related information and identify key issues. Furthermore, in today's information-saturated world where demand for information fluctuates, researchers are required to effectively utilize information-gathering tools such as generative AI, and to develop the ability to discern and select information, as well as to assess its validity. JIRCAS plays a role in collecting and disseminating information concerning food and environmental issues related to agriculture, forestry, and fisheries worldwide, with a focus on developing countries. We believe it is necessary to enhance our information-gathering capabilities while continuing to disseminate information that leads to new discoveries.
In the climate change debate, the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic sea ice, along with permafrost melt, Antarctic ice sheet melt, and Amazon deforestation, are considered to be tipping elements (subsystems where the Earth undergoes large-scale, gradual, and irreversible changes). According to a study published in Nature Communications, climate change is significantly altering the Greenland ice sheet's extreme melting by making it more frequent, widespread, and intense.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently released a policy brief on the FAO-JIRCAS collaboration. The brief outlines recent achievements under JIRCAS's Environment, Food, and Information programs, including research activities on BNI, quinoa, and Green Asia, and introduces the collaborative relationship between FAO and JIRCAS.
Four years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine inflicted a new geopolitical shock on a world already facing supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dramatically increasing uncertainty surrounding food security. While food prices have now stabilized compared to their peak in March 2022, we must remain constantly vigilant regarding potential shock factors. Today, we will review blog posts dated February 24 over the past three years and examine the impact of the Ukraine invasion on food security.
The Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in the Earth system by storing large amounts of carbon in its biomass. However, disturbances such as droughts can affect the Amazon's carbon sink. A paper published in AGU Advances showed that the Amazon became a weak net carbon source under extreme drought conditions in 2023.