The 2022 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2022), released on May 4, reports that almost 193 million people in 53 countries and territories faced an immediate food security crisis in 2021, an increase of nearly 40 million people from the previous year, and expresses concern that the food security crisis has risen over the past six years.

The Russia-Ukraine crisis has come at the worst possible time for the world as it grapples with its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soaring food, energy, and fertilizer prices have increased the risk of further global instability, and on April 13, the United Nations released a report by the Global Crisis Response Group, which expressed concern that 17 million people worldwide will be significantly affected by any one of a number of risks that could spill over into the food, energy, and financial systems from the war in Ukraine. The report expressed concern that 17 million people worldwide would be severely affected by any one of a number of risks that could spill over into the food, energy, and financial systems of Ukraine.

Many of the products around us such as cosmetics and supplements that we unconsciously use on a daily basis are made from wild plant species. In recent years, the global demand for raw materials from wild species has been increasing, but they are in danger of extinction due to loss of survival zones, climate change, and over-exploitation. A recent report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hopes to raise awareness among all those involved in the wild species trade, leading to conservation through responsible consumption and production.

Today, April 22, is International Mother Earth Day. This year's theme is “Invest in Our Planet”. Actions are needed to promote the transition to a sustainable economy that is friendly to both humanity and the planet.

The JIRCAS Open House 2022 is now accessible online until April 24 (Sun) at a special site on the official website. Today, we will introduce 2 activities, the "Stamp Rally Quiz” on international agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and "360˚ Camera Video" from a researcher/animal's point of view.

The Japanese people love shrimp, and in 2019 they consumed more than 230,000 tons of shrimp annually, making them the second largest consumer per capita in the world, after the United States. According to government statistics, about 70% of the shrimp imported to Japan comes from Southeast and South Asian regions such as Vietnam and India. Shrimp caught in these countries were exported until the 1980s, but since the 1990s, production has shifted mainly to aquaculture due to dwindling resources. In addition, 2022 is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. In this Pick Up, we will introduce some of the less commonly known methods of shrimp farming.

A paper recently published in Scientific Reports stated that while human activities are the largest contributor to biodiversity loss through direct loss of habitat and indirectly through climate change, the events that contribute to species extinctions often result from consumption and services in areas far-removed from the affected species. The study showed that international trade is responsible for 29.5% of the global species extinction footprint.

At the UN Food System Summit last September, the shift to food that contributes to the health of the planet and humankind became the biggest agenda, and a diverse range of stakeholders, not only international organizations and governments, but also civil society and the private sector, expressed their commitment to change. Among them, the Rockefeller Foundation, an influential force in international agricultural research, announced the launching of the Good Food Strategy, which aims for a world where quality food is physically and economically accessible to all people.

Dr. Guntur V. Subbarao, JIRCAS Senior Researcher, will speak at the TED2022: A New ERA to be held from April 10-14, 2022 in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Subbarao’s research on BNI-enhanced wheat has garnered worldwide attention and won the Cozzarelli Prize for 2021 from PNAS and the National Academy of Sciences.