Looking back at Nature articles from 50 years ago, its archive reveals that scientists of the time convened a series of international conferences aimed at developing research strategies to effectively address key issues in the interactions between climate, food, and society. At the time, the world had been experiencing cooling since the first half of the 20th century. However, scientists generally agreed that climate change, rather than temperature change itself, posed a more serious threat to the world's food supply. This led to discussions about the need for science and technology to contribute to resolving the increasingly serious issues related to climate, food, and society.

Rice diseases such as bacterial blight and rice blast threaten the livelihoods of farmers in Asia and Africa and jeopardize food security. Scientists address these threats through the development of highly specialized rice lines (near-isogenic lines, or NILs) that carry unique resistance genes in a uniform background. The bacterial blight and rice blast lines, developed through long-standing collaboration between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), have become the global standard in rice disease research. This blog from the IRRI looks back on the achievements of the IRRI-JIRCAS collaborative research.

The Thailand National Science and Technology Fair 2025 is Thailand's largest annual science and technology exhibition. This year, it was held at the Queen Sirikit International Convention Center in Bangkok from August 9th to 17th. JIRCAS exhibited the results of its international collaborative research on Khanom Jeen, a traditional Thai fermented rice noodle, and Khon Kaen 4, a recommended Thai sugarcane variety. 

The seminar, titled " Building Climate Resilient Agrifood Systems in Africa – the Role of Science and Public-Private Partnership," will take place on Friday, August 22, 2025, from 12:15 to 13:45 (JST) at TKP Garden City PREMIUM Minatomirai.

The 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) will be held in Yokohama this week, from August 20th to 22nd, 2025. A report by AGRA identifies Africa's high population growth rate as one of the key megatrends for the development of Africa's food systems.

Extreme heatwaves, with dangerously high daytime and nighttime temperatures, are affecting millions worldwide, highlighting the importance of early warnings and heatstroke prevention action plans. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), from late July to early August, temperatures exceeded 42°C in Western Asia, southern Central Asia, much of North Africa, southern Pakistan, and parts of the southwestern United States. Japan also recorded a national high of 41.8°C on August 5th.

The 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) is scheduled to be held in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, 2025.  JIRCAS, together with its partners, will hold three events - 'TICAD9 Thematic Event (MAFF) "Fostering the Future Through International Collaborative Research: Young Researchers Engaging with Africa"', 'Transforming African Food Systems Through Regenerative Agriculture— Strategies, Policies, and Alliances
to Empower Youth and Farmers —' , and 'Special Seminar with Ms. Alice Ruhweza, AGRA President: Building Climate Resilient Agrifood Systems in Africa – the Role of Science and Public-Private Partnership'. 

The 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) is scheduled to be held in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, 2025. This article, published on the African Union website, discusses the challenges and opportunities facing African food security.

Currently, an extraordinary heat wave is sweeping across Japan, and abnormal weather is being observed all over the world. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report and Working Group I Report (The Physical Science Basis) released on August 9, the frequency of extreme events such as heat waves, heavy rains, droughts, and floods is expected to increase due to accelerated climate change. Let's take a look back at the heat wave article that was featured in Pick Up last year.