Information Analysis
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339. Extreme Weather Events in the Northern Hemisphere in June and July 2021
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.
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338. Global Food System
The global food system has been severely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic since last year. Before hosting the UN Food Systems Summit this September, the UN will discuss sustainable food systems at a pre-summit to be held in Rome, Italy for three days starting July 26. We have been discussing the topic of global food system in Pick Up, but we would like to organize it once again before the pre-summit.
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337. Environment-Friendly Dream Technology Also Increases Rice Yield
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.
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336. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021: Around 118 million more people faced hunger last year
On July 12, the 2021 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) was published. According to the report, the number of people in the world faced hunger increased by 118 million in the year 2019-2020. The opportunity to learn more about these latest global issues is very important. As part of this effort, a webinar, "OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook Report Launch Event," will be held today, Wednesday, July 14, from 15:00 to 16:30 Japan time, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in Japan, in cooperation with JIRCAS.
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335. Using Organic Materials to Overcome Low Productivity of Rice Cultivation in Madagascar
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.
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334. Reconsidering Rural Development
In May 2021, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) released the World Social Report 2021. This year's theme is "Reconsidering Rural Development". It is estimated that four out of five people facing extreme poverty in the world live in rural areas. The report outlines a direction for rural development that takes into account global environmental protection, technological innovation, and country-specific conditions to ensure that no one is left behind. JIRCAS has been conducting research projects in rural areas, aiming at environmental conservation and improvement of agricultural productivity and living standards in cooperation with local people.
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333. July 11 is World Population Day
The world's population exceeded 5 billion on July 11, 1987, and the United Nations General Assembly declared it an international day in 1990. 7.875 billion people will be living in the world in 2021, 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100. A video showing the transition in population of the top 15 countries is available in the main text.
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332. The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in Transforming the Food System
The UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) is scheduled for September 2021. The success of building a food system that is efficient, leaves no one behind, resilient to shocks and sustainable, depends on the ability to leverage science, technology and innovation while taking into account the diversity of the food system. A two-day "Science Day" organized by the Science Group will be held today, July 8, to discuss the role of science, technology and innovation in food system transformation.
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331. Rice Cultivation Technology to Overcome Soils with Poor Nutrient Supply
The recent debate on climate change measures has raised the issue of the contribution of ineffective use of chemical fertilizers in food production to greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the suboptimal or limited use of chemical fertilizer is a cause of low productivity for smallholder farmers in developing regions such as Africa. In developing countries, there is a need for the development of technologies that can achieve high yields with minimal amounts of chemical fertilizer inputs so as to address both production increases and environmental friendliness through the development of crop varieties and fertilizer application methods that are suited to the local soil conditions.
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330. Sustainable Development Report 2021: SDG Progress Reversed for the First Time
In June, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published its Sustainable Development Report 2021 (SDR 2021). In the wake of the new coronas, for the first time since the agreement of the SDGs in 2015, progress towards achieving the SDGs has reversed globally. The report explains the need for a strong multilateral system to confront not only pandemics, but also other global challenges such as climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
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329. Launching Event of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030
The FAO Liaison Office in Japan, the UN agency specializing in food and agriculture, will host an online event on July 14 (Wed) to celebrate the publication of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030. The authors will give a live presentation on the future outlook based on the analysis of trends in global agricultural markets and discuss strategic policy, science and technology areas necessary to maintain global food security. The link for registration is now open. Please feel free to join us!
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328. Small Fish (Zako) with Big Potential
Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, recipient of the 2021 World Food Prize and one of the world's leading experts on fish farming in developing countries, has made a significant contribution to increasing food production, micronutrient intake, and livelihoods of the people of rural Bangladesh by introducing local indigenous small fish farming into the commercial fish farming system and encouraging related food system transformation. In fact, in developing countries and regions of the world, there are strong concerns about health problems caused by inadequate intake of animal protein and micronutrients. In the research project “Ecosystem approach to aquaculture” under the Food Program, JIRCAS is working on the development of technologies for enhancing the stocks of small indigenous fish and their utilization to improve the nutritional deficit in rural areas in tropical regions.
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327. The 9th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM9) and JIRCAS new project “Yama-Sato-Umi agroecosystem connectivity”
The 9th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM9) will be held online on July 2, 2021. The PALM is an international conference that has been organized by the Government of Japan every three years since 1997 and is attended by 14 Pacific island countries (PICs), two French territories, Australia and New Zealand. Pacific island countries have common difficulties regarding their small size and land distribution over a wide area, distance from major international markets, and the vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change. To overcome these challenges, PALM is an important opportunity to discuss and enhance partnership at the summit level for regional stability and prosperity.
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326. Weather Index Insurance for Rice Farmers - Improving Climate Change Adaptability of Farmers in the Deltas of Southeast Asia
In recent years, unusually heavy rains due to the effects of climate change have become more frequent, and have been accompanied by many human and economic losses. To mitigate the impact of such climate change damage on food supply, various adaptation technologies are being developed. Crop insurance, which secures food and stabilizes farmers' income, is a prime candidate for climate change adaptation.
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325. Launching of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook Report on July 14 (Wed)
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, which is released in early July every year, is a report compiled by a group of experts engaged in statistical analysis of the world's agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, based on information provided by member countries and other sources, to provide an up-to-date perspective on trends in agricultural markets over the next decade. Under the auspices of the FAO Liaison Office in Japan and in collaboration with JIRCAS, an event to explain the report to the Japanese audience interested in international agricultural market trends with simultaneous interpretation in English will be held on July 14, 2021. Details of the program and how to apply for participation will be announced at a later date via the websites of JIRCAS and the FAO Liaison Office in Japan.
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324. "International Day of the Tropics" and the JIRCAS Tropical Agriculture Research Front
Tomorrow, June 29, is "International Day of the Tropics". To celebrate this day, we would like to introduce the JIRCAS Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) in Ishigaki Island. The people of Ishigaki Island refer to TARF as “Nekken”, its acronym in the Japanese language. As the only agricultural research institute under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan located in a subtropical environment, TARF will continue to make full use of its unique features and play a role in contributing to agriculture both in Japan and overseas, while promoting research with all its staff.
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323. How much does the food we eat truly cost for human, environment and economies?
In preparation for the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), a diverse group of researchers and scientists has been established to discuss the role of science, technology and innovation in achieving the goal of building a sustainable, inclusive and resilient food system. The Scientific Group released a report titled “The True Cost and True Price of Food”, pointing out that the current price of food is much lower than what it should be if we take health and the environment into consideration, and proposing a mechanism to correct the price to reflect the cost of maintaining health and protecting the environment. The report proposes the creation of a mechanism to adjust prices to reflect the costs of maintaining health and protecting the environment.
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322. Global Warming Stripes
On June 21, 2021, meteorologists and climatologists from around the world have launched the "Show Your Stripes" campaign to show the average temperature trends over the past 100 years in each country, with the aim of highlighting the need for urgent action on climate change. In many countries and regions, the stripes show a transition from blue to red as they approach recent years, reflecting rising temperatures. The year 2021 will determine the success or failure of climate change action to avoid the worst impacts represented by frequent extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and storms.
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321. UN Food Systems Summit: Two Briefs for Food System Transformation
A Scientific Group has been established in preparation for the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) to be held in September this year. The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition has produced two briefs, namely, “COVID-19 and the Food Systems: Rebuilding for Resilience” and “The Transition Steps Needed to Transform Our Food System”, for the Scientific Group, recommending actions for food system transformation to be taken by various stakeholders in the international community.
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320. The Food System as Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Agriculture is both a contributor to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and an economic sector that is heavily impacted. At the UN Food Systems Summit and COP26 scheduled for 2021, countries will need data to inform specific strategies for mitigating climate change in the food system. The paper, published in Environmental Research Letters, estimates greenhouse gas emissions from the food system at the pre-shipment, land use, pre- and post-production stages, and shows that they are equivalent to about one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and that fossil fuel emissions from food transportation and supply chains have increased in particular from 1990 to 2018.