Today, the global food system is constantly exposed to global crises including climate change and pandemics. At the same time, the global food system is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change, while failing to provide healthy diets universally with double or triple burdens of hunger, i.e., malnutrition and obesity. Science, technology and innovation are urgently needed to build sustainable good systems serving both human and planetary health. The ‘Information Program’ aims to collect and analyze information, and address the challenges affecting the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector and the global food systems from various perspectives, and to provide strategic and evidence-based information on potential solutions.

The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) is working with national agricultural research institutes and other organizations in developing countries of tropical areas through cooperation, to develop technologies needed by small-scale farmers who are exposed to the effects of climate change. In addition, as part of the Green Food System Strategy, which is the culmination of Japan's science and technology innovation, a model for initiatives in the Asian monsoon region, we are promoting international joint research with countries in the region.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the day in a given year when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds the Earth's ability to regenerate and supply them. This year, it falls on July 29, three months earlier than last year's August 22, due to COVID-19 pandemic deterrence policies and other factors, and has reverted to 2019 levels.

Recently, carbon neutrality, which means achieving zero emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by subtracting the amount absorbed by forests, has become a hot topic. By using both bottom-up and top-down approaches, combining observations with model estimates, and improving the sophistication of greenhouse gas emission source estimates, it is possible to distinguish carbon emissions from agriculture and fossil fuels from natural processes. According to the European Space Agency, at the current rate of emissions, we have only 10 years left to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Rice is a major food source for almost half of the world's population and is one of the most important food crops. On the other hand, methane emissions from rice paddies are one of the major sources of greenhouse gases. At the same time as breeding rice that is resilient to climate change, it is also necessary to breed rice in line with the development of cultivation techniques that reduce methane emissions from paddy fields. A review article, “Breeding rice for climate change by improving adaptation to water-saving technologies”, coordinated by JIRCAS Senior Researcher Dr. Matthias Wissuwa, has been published online in Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

Just one week ago, on July 14, 2021 (Wednesday), the “Launch Event of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook”, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in Japan in cooperation with JIRCAS, was held online. At this event, the experts involved in writing the Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030 report released on July 5 gave lectures on its contents and exchanged opinions with Japanese experts.

Extreme weather events have been observed in various regions of the Northern Hemisphere during June and July 2021. The northwestern United States and western Canada have been hit by a heat wave since the end of June, with record high temperatures of over 40°C. Meanwhile, in Europe, floods caused by torrential rains, said to occur once in 100 years, have caused human and material damage since the beginning of July. While the direct cause of the extreme weather is still awaiting analysis, experts are pointing to the impact of climate change. The year 2021 will see many international initiatives such as the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Food Systems Summit. It is expected that 2021 will make the difference between success and failure in terms of countries' commitment to avoid the worst impacts of frequent extreme weather events.

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In the agricultural sector, cow burps are actually the largest source of GHG, but rice paddies are also a major source of GHG. This is due to the fact that watering rice paddies reduces oxygen in the soil, which causes microorganisms in the soil to produce methane gas. JIRCAS, in collaboration with Chiba University and Can Tho University in Vietnam, has tried an intermittent irrigation technology to reduce GHG emissions in rice paddies in the Mekong Delta, and found that it can reduce the amount of water used for irrigation and GHG emissions, and also increases the yield of paddy rice.

More than 10 soil nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, are required for crop growth, and it is necessary to keep replenishing the nutrients used at each harvest. The small-scale agricultural sector in developing countries cannot afford to replenish phosphorus as a chemical fertilizer, resulting in thin soils and chronically low production. By working on the development of fertilizer management technology to effectively utilize organic materials that farmers can use as an alternative to chemical fertilizers, JIRCAS aims to contribute to the stable production of rice in oligotrophic soils in Africa, including Madagascar.