Information Analysis
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733. March 9, 2023 is Millet Day on Millet Year
March 9 is “Millet Day”. The date matches the Japanese words "za" (3) and “koku (9)” which refer to millet. It was established by the Japan Millet Association, which was certified and registered by the Japan Anniversary Association. Also, since 2023 is the International Year of Millets (IYM2023), March 9, 2023 is Millet Day on Millet Year. Today’s Pick up introduces a study on pearl millet.
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732. Global Indicators on the Costs of Healthy Diets
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Statistical Data Hub (FAOSTAT) has published an indicator on the costs of healthy diets and the populations that do not have access to them. Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest costs of healthy diets compared to other regions.
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731. Food Systems and Syndemic
Three years have passed since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. During this time, cost-push food inflation has continued around the world, while extreme weather events, plant pests, spread of livestock diseases, and other unusual events have caused shocks to food production. Uncertainty surrounding the food system has increased as extreme events affecting food security have become more frequent. The food system is distorted with 700-800 million of the world's 8 billion people facing hunger and 3 billion overweight and obese, which is a major factor in exceeding the planetary boundary. In other words, humanity is facing a "syndemic" of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change.
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730. February 2023 World Food Price Index
On March 3, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Index, which averaged 129.8 points in February 2023, marking the 11th consecutive monthly decline, albeit only 0.6%, from the previous month and 29.9 points (18.7%) below the high reached in March 2022. The February decline reflected lower prices for vegetable oils, dairy products, and partial grains and meats, which offset a sharp rise in the sugar price index.
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729. Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2022
On March 2, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its report on energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, announcing that global carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 increased 0.9% from the previous year, reaching an all-time high. On the other hand, the report noted that the impact of increased fossil fuel use under the global energy crisis was offset by solar and wind power generation and improved energy use efficiency, resulting in a lower growth rate than initially feared, and called for an accelerated shift to clean energy.
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728. IWMI Report: Change in Global Freshwater Storage
It is said that two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered with water, or about 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water. However, the only water we can use is freshwater, excluding seawater, which accounts for only about 2.5% of the water on the earth. Furthermore, excluding glaciers and groundwater, only 0.01% of freshwater (rivers, lakes, marshes, etc.) is in a state that is easily accessible to humans. Today, we would like to introduce a report of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on the change in global freshwater storage.
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727. FAO Report: Global Assessment of Soil Carbon in Grasslands
Soil is the second largest carbon sink after the oceans, with grasslands containing about 20% of the world's soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and playing an important role in global climate change, according to a recently published report by FAO.
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726. What is the Good Relationship Between Fruits, People and the Earth? ～Tropics and Subtropics are Treasure Troves of Fruits～
Incorporating tropical and subtropical fruit trees into our daily diet is a delicious and enjoyable way to get the nutrition we need. On the other hand, cultivating fruit trees of uniform quality is not an easy task, and in order to cope with the ever-changing global environment, it is necessary to study a wide variety of genetic resources and utilize the useful ones. Today, a JIRCAS researcher who is engaged in research on tropical fruit trees at the Tropical Agriculture Research Front on Ishigaki Island elaborates on the good relationship between fruits, people, and the earth.
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725. Investigating the Blessings of Tropical Rainforest at the Top of Trees 〜Photosynthesis at 50 Meters Above Ground〜
What kind of forest comes to mind when you hear the word "tropical rainforest"? Tropical rainforests are a treasure trove of living organisms that have not only provided mankind with a variety of benefits, but also help mitigate global warming by storing carbon dioxide. Today's article introduces research to understand and protect the power of tropical rainforests from the perspective of a young JIRCAS researcher, who is active in the field of tropical rainforest.
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724. One Year Since Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
One year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the uncertainty surrounding global food security has increased dramatically. Global food security requires coordinated international efforts to avoid supply chain disruptions caused by geopolitical factors, and technical assistance in regions where food crop productivity is stagnant is of critical importance.
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723. Climate Change Risk to the Built Environment
Over the past 50 years, the number of extreme weather events - droughts, storms, floods, and extreme temperatures - has increased, and the scale of economic losses has grown each year, affecting the food and nutrition security of vulnerable segments of society. Climate change also causes significant economic damage by destroying assets and infrastructure, and supply chain disruptions affect the investment trends that drive the global economy. The assessment, which was made public on February 20, was the talk of the world's media.
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722. Wilder PL Bags 2023 Japan Prize of Agricultural Science / Yomiuri Prize of Agricultural Science
Dr. Marcy N. WILDER, Project Leader of the Fisheries Division, has been selected by the Association of Japanese Agricultural Scientific Societies to receive the 2023 Japan Prize of Agricultural Science / Yomiuri Prize of Agricultural Science. The award is recognized as the highest honor given to agricultural science researchers in Japan.
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721. Quinoa Day ～JIRCAS Contribution in Quinoa Research～
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization launched the International Year of Quinoa at an opening ceremony held on February 20, 2013, and on the same day in 2016, the Japan Quinoa Association was established. In 2017, February 20 was recognized and registered by the Japan Anniversary Association as “Quinoa Day”. Today's Pick Up features quinoa.
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720. Recent Trends in World Food Price and Food Security
According to reports from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and a World Bank blog, international food prices have calmed down from last year's peak, but domestic prices for food remain high around the world and inflation is being recorded in many countries.
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719. Global Sea Ice Extent at All-time Low in January 2023
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced that the global sea ice extent for the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans combined reached an all-time low in January 2023. Experts say that while this value is not necessarily a trend, and the possibility of weather-related fluctuations cannot be ruled out, 44 years of satellite observations have also confirmed that sea ice is retreating rapidly.
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718. Addressing Food Systems Loss and Damage
Until now, negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have focused on two strategies: mitigation and adaptation to climate change. However, "too little, too slow" in responding to climate change has necessitated a third negotiation: loss and damage (L&D). The article, "Responding to loss and damage in food systems," recently published in Nature Food, emphasized the need for a long-term perspective that is more in line with the needs on the ground, rather than a crisis-by-crisis humanitarian response.
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717. Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture in the United States
A week ago, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address in which he described climate change as an existential threat and stressed the need for the current generation to share responsibility for climate change action for the sake of future generations. Here, we take a brief look at the implementation framework for agricultural conservation in the Inflation Reduction Act announced last August, which was also cited by Pres. Biden.
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716. Action on Global Food and Nutrition Security Crisis
On February 8, the heads of five international organizations issued a joint statement expressing support for the victims of the recent earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, while sounding the alarm about the deteriorating environment surrounding poverty and food security worldwide. The statement called for a balanced response that takes into account both emergency relief and long-term resilience-building efforts, such as "hunger hotspot" relief and trade promotion.
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715. February 10 is “World Pulses Day” ～Recent Cowpea Research～
The United Nations established February 10 as “World Pulses Day” at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in December 2018 to commemorate the International Year of the Pulses in 2016. In this “World Pulses Day” Pick Up, we will explore cowpea research conducted in recent years using the method of text mining.
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714. Balancing Food Production and Improving Soil Fertility with the Power of Soil Microorganisms
In sub-Saharan Africa, crop productivity is low, and food shortages are chronic. JIRCAS has established a technology to produce phosphate-added soil compost using materials available to small-scale farmers in the region. We have also demonstrated that using phosphate rock-rhizosphere soil-added compost not only increases yields on a par with chemical fertilizers but also improves the biological and chemical properties of the soil. This achievement is expected to be an effective technology against the sharp rise in global fertilizer prices.