Information Analysis
Search Information Analysis
895. Environmental, Health, and Social Costs of Food
On November 6, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a white paper, The State of Food and Agriculture 2023, which found that the hidden environmental, health and social costs of the agri-food system exceed $10 trillion, with more than 70% of these costs attributable to unhealthy diets and the equivalent of 20% to environment-related factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and land use.
894. Climate Change Adaptation ― Underfinanced and Underprepared
In 2023, we are on track for the hottest year on record, while typhoons, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and heat waves are bringing disasters. The United Nations Environment Programme's Adaptation Gap Report 2023 warned that underfunding and unpreparedness will put the world at risk at a time when climate change adaptation responses must accelerate..
893. Gaps and Challenges Revealed by Global Food and Nutrition Analysis
There are both undernutrition and overnutrition in the world today. In the context of agricultural production and nutrition, we present today an article on global food nutrient analysis published in Nature Food (Wang et al., 2023).
892. October 2023 World Food Price Index
On November 3, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its World Food Price Index for October 2023, which averaged 120.6 points, down 0.7 points (0.5%) from the previous month and down 14.8 points (10.9%) from a year earlier. The slight decline in the price index in October reflected lower prices for sugar, cereals, edible oils and meat.
891. Remaining Carbon Budget to Stop Global Warming
Carbon budget is "the maximum amount of cumulative CO2 emissions that can limit global warming to a given level of temperature increase with a given probability, taking into account the effects of other anthropogenic drivers of climate change. A paper published October 30 in Nature Climate Change suggests that only a small amount of the remaining carbon budget (RCB) could be emitted to keep warming below 1.5°C.
890. Humanity Enters Uncharted Territory Under Climate Change
On October 24, in the journal BioScience, world-renowned researchers published titled "The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory".This report serves as a resounding warning that the Earth is entering unprecedented territory due to the alarming acceleration of climate change.
889. Sectoral Impacts of Water Scarcity in a World Vulnerable to Extreme Environmental Events
In response to the ever-increasing world population and economic development, water use is increasing in various sectors, from domestic water to agriculture, industry and energy. In addition, the increasing frequency of extreme events often leads to water scarcity, with different sectors responding differently to water use. A recent paper published in Environmental Research Letters discusses the complex interplay of various factors (population density, climate conditions, access to water supply systems, public water management plans, and regulatory regimes), how water use responses vary across sectors and regions, and how to mitigate water scarcity and reduce water use in the face of a projected increase in the frequency of extreme events. Given the projected increase in the frequency of extreme events, the paper highlights the need for more detailed data collection by sector and region in order to reduce water scarcity and improve water management strategies.
888. Enhanced Adaptation of Tropical Rainforest Trees Through Hybridization
887. Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: A Global Health Emergency
On October 25, the editors-in-chief of more than 200 journals, including prestigious medical journals such as BMJ and The Lancet, issued a joint statement urging the United Nations, policymakers and experts to consider the climate crisis and biodiversity loss as an integrated global health emergency and to take urgent action to avert catastrophe.
886. Actors in Adaptation Measures
In a world where climate change-induced extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, there is a need to leverage climate change adaptation measures. A paper published in Nature Climate Change reviews the literature on case studies and identifies individuals and households as the most important actors in adaptation planning and implementation. The paper also emphasized the need for coordination and collaboration with governments and other actors involved in the institutional design of adaptation measures.
885. Challenges for Economies Dependent on Exported Commodities
Global trade relies heavily on agricultural commodities, such as grain and cotton, and mineral resources, such as copper, which is essential to the electronics industry. However, over-reliance on these commodities poses serious risks to economies, particularly those with high poverty rates, by exposing them to the vagaries of market shocks. This over-reliance on commodity-based exports, especially when they account for more than 60% of a nation's export earnings, creates a critical dilemma for developing countries. A recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) outlined five key challenges associated with commodity dependence and its impact on economic development.
884. Adoption of Sugarcane Variety KK4 for Cultivation in Thailand and Expectations for Increased Bioenergy Production from Bagasse
TPJ04-768, a sugarcane variety recognized for its exceptional bagasse yield, is the product of a collaborative effort between JIRCAS and the Khon Kaen Field Crops Research Center in Thailand. It has been officially named "DOA Khon Kaen 4 (KK4)" and is being actively endorsed for cultivation by the Thai government. This is the first time for the Thai sugarcane industry to adopt a jointly developed variety from Japan as a recommended choice.
883. Promoting Science and Technology Innovation and Dietary Change to Achieve SDG 2
While the international community is busy responding to conflicts and climate change, Mother Earth faces many challenges in feeding a global population that is expected to reach approximately 10 billion people by 2050. Scientific and technological innovations in production and changes in consumption habits are key to providing more nutritious food to more people with minimal environmental impact.environmental impact.
882. Enhancing Health-Boosting Properties of Black Rice via Optimal Phosphorus Management
Rice is the most important crop in Laos and serves as the country's staple food. However, because Laos is a landlocked country with high transportation costs and major rice-producing countries nearby, the production and export of rice with high added value and differentiation from other countries is essential to expand the Lao rice market. Therefore, JIRCAS promotes research focusing on Lao black rice as a promising commodity with excellent market potential. In our research on phosphorus management in black rice, we have shown that it is possible to achieve both productivity and functionality of black rice by introducing soil-appropriate phosphorus fertilization management. These results will provide important knowledge for improving the livelihood of black rice producers in developing countries.
881. Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security
Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to disaster risk. On October 13, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a report on the impact of disasters on agriculture, estimating that $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock production has been lost worldwide over the past 30 years. The report estimates that $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock production has been lost worldwide over the past 30 years.
880. Heat Wave and Drought in South America
Record-breaking high temperatures in September this year have already been reported by European meteorological agencies. As the Southern Hemisphere entered spring in September, an unusual heat wave exceeding 40°C (104°F) occurred, prompting World Weather Attribution to point out the influence of climate change in analyzing the causal relationship between extreme phenomena and climate change.
879. Impact of Pesticide Reduction on Food and Feed Security
Modern agricultural production systems rely heavily on chemicals, including fertilizers to increase yields and pesticides to control pests. A paper published in Nature Food discusses the environmental impact of pesticides in Europe and their short- and long-term losses and impacts on food and feed security, and the need to address research and policy bottlenecks for a more sustainable food system by recognizing differences in pesticide use by farmers, regions and crops, and by improving data collection on pesticide use.
878. World Food Day 2023 ~Water is life, water is food. Leave no one is left behind.~
Today, October 16, is the United Nations World Food Day, and the theme for 2023 is water. We want to address the challenges the world and we face in relation to water, which is essential for food production.
877. Seminar: Neglected and Underutilised Plant SpeciesーContributions and potential for sustainable food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
At the nexus of food security, climate change, rural livelihoods, and environmental sustainability there have been calls to leverage the potential of high-yielding Neglected and underutilised plant species (NUS) that are climate-robust and nutrient-rich. On October 26, the University of Tokyo's Center for Future Vision and JIRCAS will hold a hybrid seminar on NUS to provide a forum for scientists engaged in NUS research abroad and in Japan to discuss the characteristics, potential and challenges of adopting and utilizing NUS in different African contexts.
876. Food Security and Clean Energy Transition Threatened by Geoeconomic Fragmentation
In an increasingly globalized world, rare metals and agricultural products essential to the transition to a green economy are concentrated in a small number of producing and exporting countries with resource endowments and comparative advantages, exposing them to the risk of trade disruptions due to geopolitical crises. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) blog warned that geo-economic fragmentation could threaten the transition to food security and clean energy.