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664. The Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held until the end of last week. The Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, which was finalized after extended negotiations, reaffirmed the commitment of the Parties to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and emphasized the importance of water and water-related ecosystem conservation in adaptation.
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663. FAST Initiative: Toward Sustainable Transformation of Food and Agriculture
The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to last until November 18, has extended its session and reached an agreement to establish an assistance fund for developing countries regarding "loss and damage”. In order to transform agriculture and food systems into sustainable ones, we need to coordinate our efforts at the global and regional levels. In this issue, we will introduce the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Initiative (FAST) launched during the session.
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662. Extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the FAO Food Outlook
The four-party agreement between the United Nations, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey that guarantees exports of Ukrainian grain was set to expire on November 19, but it has been announced that it will be extended for 120 days, which is expected to avert a global food price spike for the time being. Meanwhile, trends in food, fertilizer, and energy prices, via the food system, have a major impact on global food security. The FAO Food Outlook released on November 11 announced that world food imports for 2022 will be higher than expected.
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661. JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 Registration Deadline Today
The JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 “Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Sustainable Food Systems” will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 22, in a hybrid meeting format. The sustainable development of artisanal and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture is essential to achieving the SDGs. Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, recipient of the 2021 World Food Prize for her significant contribution to improving the nutrition and livelihoods of the population through the development of technologies with a nutrition-sensitive approach to aquaculture and food systems, will also be a keynote speaker.
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660. Investment in Climate Change "Loss and Damage” and "Adaptation and Mitigation" in the Agricultural Sector of Developing Countries
At COP27, financial support for "loss and damage" such as heavy rains and droughts suffered by developing countries is on the agenda. Although the climate change debate has intensified the conflict between developed and developing countries, international cooperation to promote innovation in climate change adaptation and mitigation in the agricultural sector is required to achieve sustainable development in which no one is left behind.
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659. Net-positive Goals to Biodiversity Loss
The World Wildlife Fund released the "Living Planet Report 2022" in October 2022. Biodiversity loss has become an important global issue comparable to global warming. However, unlike climate change, net-zero thinking alone is not enough to address biodiversity loss and it is necessary to pursue net-positive goals to restore what has been lost.
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658. Awarding Ceremony for the 2022 (The 16th) Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (Japan Award)
The awarding ceremony for the 2022 (The16th) Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (Japan Award) will be held on Tuesday, November 22, from 10:00 AM. The Japan Award was started in 2007 with a generous donation from Mr. MOTAI Shigeru, former Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC). This year marks the 16th time the award is given. The JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 “Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Sustainable Food System” will be held on the same day from 1:00 PM.
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657. World Population Surpasses 8 Billion!
Tomorrow, November 15, 2022, is the day that the world's population is estimated to reach 8 billion. Knowing global population trends is essential to planning for sustainable development internationally, including efforts to build food systems that are resilient to climate change, preserve the environment and biodiversity that support current and future generations, and ensure that no one is left behind with a nutrient-rich food supply. Today's Pick Up summarizes previous articles on world population.
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656. UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window
On October 27, the UN Environment Programme released the “Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window – Climate crisis calls for rapid transformation of societies”, warning that the current greenhouse gas reduction measures are far from achieving the Paris Agreement's target of a temperature increase of less than 1.5°C.
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655. Toward the Establishment of Insecticide Susceptibility Monitoring Network for Fall Armyworm in Indochina
Fall armyworm is a transboundary pest that is capable of self-migrating over long distances. Therefore, if a strain develops resistance to insecticides in one region, it may quickly spread to neighboring countries. In order to suppress the development of insecticide resistance in fall armyworm, it is necessary to establish a network that enables monitoring of changes in susceptibility to insecticides in each country and prompt international countermeasures based on the results of such monitoring.
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654. COP27 Side-Event Organized by MAFF: Introduction of JIRCAS Research
On November 12 (Sat), JIRCAS researchers will participate in the COP27 side-event hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to introduce the results of technology development projects in Japan that will contribute to addressing climate change.
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653. Research on Asian Soybean Rust Pathogen in Mexico Wins 2021 PhytoFrontiers Best Student Paper Award
The paper entitled “Virulence Diversity of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in Mexico” by Julio César García-Rodríguez of INIFAP, Naoki Yamanaka of JIRCAS and their colleagues, has received Honorable Mention for the 2021 PhytoFrontiers Best Student Paper Award from the American Pytopathological Society. This paper provides a rare global example of clear geographic variation in the virulence of Asian soybean rust (ASR) pathogen in adjacent regions. This discovery clarified that the introduction of resistant soybean varieties with stable resistance, including the pyramiding of resistance genes, is necessary to overcome the large geographical differences in virulence of the Mexican ASR pathogen.
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652. October 2022 World Food Price Index
On November 4, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its world Food Price Index, which averaged 135.9 points for October 2022, showing little change overall from the previous month, with most indicators showing declines at the monthly level, except for cereal prices. However, the situation surrounding the international grain market remains fluid due to developments in Russia regarding the extension of its initiative on Ukrainian grain exports from the Black Sea. Last week also saw the release of the FAO report “The State of Food and Agriculture 2022: Leveraging Automation in Agriculture for Transforming Agrifood Systems”.
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651. Greenhouse Gas Levels Hit New Record Highs in 2021
The World Meteorological Organization has reported that the concentration of three major greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere has reached new record highs in 2021. Prominent researchers have warned that the planet is now in a “code red” state of high alert and have called for the need for drastic policy action. The UN Climate Change conference, COP27, to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, beginning November 6, is expected to discuss efforts to limit temperature rise to within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels.
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650. JIRCAS Research Collaborator Receives 2022 IFA Emerging Scholar Award
Dr. Jean-Martial Johnson of the Africa Rice Center, one of the CGIAR centers, has received 2022 IFA Emerging Scholar Award.
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649. Report on the First Meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Board for Strategy “MeaDRI”
Based on its many years of experience in international research collaboration in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, JIRCAS has been working on the project “Accelerating application of agricultural technologies which enhance production potentials and ensure sustainable food systems in the Asia-Monsoon region” since FY2022 as an implementing agency assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. On October 25, the first meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Board for Strategy “MeaDRI” was held in Tokyo and there was a lively exchange of views and advice on the activities of the project.
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648. Growing Tomatoes and Strawberries on a Subtropical Island
Tomatoes and strawberries have become common vegetables for Japanese people. Recently, demand for fruit and vegetable crops such as tomatoes and strawberries has been increasing in Southeast Asia, where economic growth has been remarkable. In order to develop cultivation techniques for tomatoes and strawberries that are as delicious in tropical and subtropical regions as they are in Japan, we are conducting research at the Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture. TARF will be open to the public for one week from today, so please come and see the Open House.
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647. Agricultural Nitrogen Pollution － From Planetary to Regional Boundaries
In light of the planetary boundary concept, it has been recognized that nitrogen fertilizer use is well beyond the limits, but regional differences in nitrogen fertilizer pollution have not been taken into account, as chemical fertilizer use rates vary widely from region to region around the world. A study has now been published in Nature that evaluates nitrogen fertilizer limits at the regional level. In order to solve the planetary boundary, it is thought that it would be effective to examine innovations at the regional level, where similar problems exist.
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646. Food Security in Africa Under Climate Change
A paper published in Earth's Future has raised the alarm about growing food security concerns due to both climate change and population growth. The paper suggests that food shortages in Africa can be partially alleviated by rethinking diets, securing water for irrigation during the dry season, and discarding food losses. However, to improve productivity in African agriculture, we need to face the diversity of environmental and socioeconomic conditions and take scientific and technological innovations in line with farmers' perspectives.
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645. JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 Poster
The poster for the JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 “Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Sustainable Food Systems”, which was first announced in a recent Pick Up, is now available.