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681. JIRCAS Affiliated Researcher SAITO Kazuki Receives 21st Century Hope Prize of 7th Niigata International Food Award
The commendation ceremony and commemorative lectures of the awardees of the 7th Niigata International Food Award were held at the International Conference Hall of the Niigata Convention Center, Toki Messe, Niigata City on November 29, 2022. The award is given to those who have made efforts to solve problems in the field of food and agriculture, and Dr. SAITO Kazuki, an affiliated researcher of JIRCAS, received the 21st Century Hope Award.
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680. Five Major Factors Affecting Biodiversity
The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is currently underway, and it is reported that world leaders are in talks to reach an agreement to reverse the loss of biodiversity. Today, we will review the five major causes of the nature crisis and biodiversity loss.
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679. November 2022 World Food Price Index
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Index in early December, with November 2022 values averaging 135.7 points, with most sub-indices showing monthly declines except vegetable oil and sugar, offsetting price increases in vegetable oil and sugar, and little change overall. Although international prices have calmed down compared to a brief period, according to the World Bank, food price inflation has been reported in many countries around the world.
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678. Global Nutrition Report 2022: Stronger Commitments for Greater Action
The 2022 Global Nutrition Report was published this month with a comprehensive assessment of the commitments made at last year's Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit.
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677. Environmental Impacts of Food Production
Food production accounts for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions and uses 70% of the world's freshwater withdrawals, so what we eat and how we produce has a significant impact on achieving climate change action, water stress and pollution reduction, land restoration, and global wildlife protection. The European Union's agreement to legislate food regulations that lead to deforestation and degradation in the EU market has been reported in the press and is expected to influence the strategies of countries and regions around the world.
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676. JICA-JISNAS Forum on "Global Trends in Food Security and Human Resource Development in Universities and Faculties of Agricultural Sciences"
The 11th JICA-JISNAS Forum on "Global Trends in Food Security and Human Resource Development in Agricultural Universities and Faculties" will be held in hybrid format on December 19 (Mon), 2022. The forum, in which JIRCAS will also participate as a speaker, will deepen insight into the global trends in food security and the efforts being made in Japan and abroad, and discuss the actual situation, challenges, and improvement measures for human resource development, including study abroad programs, in agricultural universities and faculties, which are responsible for solving this issue.
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675. Importance of Genetic Diversity Research on Orphan Crops
More than 2 billion people worldwide suffer from severe micronutrient deficiencies, known as “hidden hunger". In recent years, attention has focused on the effective use of underutilized crops and genetic resources, known as orphan crops. JIRCAS, together with collaborating institutions, has elucidated for the first time in the world the genetic diversity of "hiyuna" (Amaranthus tricolor L.), a traditional vegetable of the Asian region. A presentation on "hiyuna" research will be given at the seminar to be held next week on December 12. Please register for the seminar.
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674. One Year After the Tokyo Nutrition Summit
Exactly one year ago, on December 7-8, 2021, the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit 2021 was held in Tokyo. Today, we look back at the Tokyo N4G Summit from last year's Pick Up article.
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673. Toward Agreement on International Biodiversity Targets
With less than a month left in 2022, we introduced in Pick Up earlier this year that 2022 is the year that will determine the fate of the biodiversity agenda—slowing the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and setting a goal to conserve biodiversity by 2050. The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, where the Global Biodiversity Framework will be discussed, starts today, December 7.
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672. Report on the JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 “Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Sustainable Food Systems”
The JIRCAS International Symposium 2022 “Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Sustainable Food Systems” was held on November 22, 2022 under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA).
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671. World Soil Day 2022
World Soil Day is held annually on December 5 to promote a better understanding of soil resources, recognize the importance of soil health, and advocate for its sustainable management. This year's theme is "Soils: Where food begins". JIRCAS is engaged in technology development, information dissemination, and awareness-raising activities targeting soil fertility management and productivity improvement in oligotrophic soils in Africa.
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670. The Role of Agrobiodiversity in the Food System
The globalization of food systems over the past several decades has resulted in a loss of agricultural diversity. A paper published in Nature argued that land-specific food systems guarantee ecological and socioeconomic sustainability and need to be mainstreamed in policy and scientific debates.
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669. State of Global Water Resources
The impact of climate change is often felt through water-related phenomena such as increased frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, changes in rainfall patterns, and glacier melting. The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of Global Water Resources, which attempted to assess the impact of climate, environmental, and social changes on the Earth's water resources, reported that in 2021, many regions of the world were affected by climate change and La Niña-induced rainfall patterns, with dry conditions were observed in many regions of the world.
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668. Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the war in Ukraine, is making it significantly more difficult to achieve the global goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. The World Bank's “Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2022: Correcting Course” provides a comprehensive analysis of the global poverty impacts of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, and a comprehensive analysis of policy reforms to support growth and development, which are prerequisites for achieving poverty reduction in low- and middle-income countries.
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667. Global Fertilizer Market and Policy Trends
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is casting a dark shadow over the global economy post-pandemic by disrupting supply chains and creating inflationary pressures on energy, agricultural, and fertilizer prices. Not only are Russia and Ukraine major grain exporters, but Russia in particular is the world's largest fertilizer exporter, and the geopolitical crisis will have a major impact on agricultural production in countries dependent on imported fertilizer. Today, we present a summary of a report on global fertilizer market and policy trends compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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666. Global Warming Trends Reported Around the World
Recently, there have been reports from around the world suggesting accelerated global warming. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the past eight years have been the hottest on record due to heat retention caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions, and while 2022 is projected to be only the fifth or sixth hottest year on record due to a third consecutive La Niña event, long-term warming is ongoing.
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665. Seminar on "The application of science and traditional knowledge to foster the utilization of foods obtained from local landscapes for improved nutrition and livelihoods"
Foods from local landscapes provide an important source of nutrition and livelihoods for local communities in Africa and Asia. This seminar will invite experts to share their insights and experiences in the application of science and traditional knowledge to foster the utilization of foods obtained from local landscapes for improved nutrition and livelihoods.
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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.