Today, the global food system is constantly exposed to global crises including climate change, transboundary pests and diseases, and pandemics. As temporary restrictions on movement during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, risks inherent in imbalances in demand and supply of globally traded agricultural commodities can be instantly transmitted through the global food systems, adversely impacting the economic performance of importing countries and regions, and worsening inequality through the disproportionately affected socio-economically vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the projected acceleration of changes in food demand, both in quantity and quality, with the prospects of world population growth and urbanization, can bring about disruptive impacts on all stages of global food systems from production, distribution and consumption. This could potentially threaten global food security if member countries and organizations stay uninformed and unprepared.

At the same time, the global food system is among the major drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change, while it fails to provide healthy diets universally with double or triple burdens of hunger, i.e., malnutrition and obesity. Science, technology and innovation are urgently needed to build sustainable good systems serving both human and planetary health. The ‘Information Program’ aims to collect, and analyze challenges affecting the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector and global food systems in an increasingly complicated and multifaceted world and provide strategic and evidence-based information on potential solutions.

In order to achieve these goals, the following projects are implemented.

“Information hub”: Strategic information hub for international agricultural research

“Research applications/ventures”: Practical application of global research results and establishment of a model platform for promoting private-sector research collaboration and creating new business ventures

“Digital agriculture”: Towards the development of digital agriculture technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

“Tropical crop genetic resources”: Advancement of tropical crop genetic resources utilization through the development of database, technologies and research networking

References

Strategic information hub for international agricultural research【Information hub】https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/program/proc/c1

Practical application of global research results and establishment of a model platform for promoting private-sector research collaboration and creating new business ventures【Research applications/ventures】https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/program/proc/c2

Towards the development of digital agriculture technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa【Digital agriculture】https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/program/proc/c3

Advancement of tropical crop genetic resources utilization through the development of database, technologies and research networking【Tropical crop genetic resources】https://www.jircas.go.jp/ja/program/proc/c4

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Director, Information Program)