In 2019, the world’s leading international organizations warned that climate change and environmental degradation are progressing more than expected. Along with the negative impact of environmental degradation and climate change on agriculture, it should be noted that agriculture is one of the major contributors to these global problems. Agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) activities accounted for 23% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and changes in these activities are also major causes of loss of biodiversity. In order to achieve food and nutrition security while avoiding irreversible risks in the future, it is necessary to develop and disseminate AFOLU to minimize the negative impacts on climate change and the environment. JIRCAS aims to realize sustainable integration of agriculture and contribute to climate change issues through technological development that improves productivity while sustainably and stably utilizing agricultural resources such as water, soil and fertilizer.

The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, known worldwide as a miracle of nature, is surrounded by fields with high salinity and barren lands devoid of major crops. Quinoa is an extremely rare crop that grows in such a severe environment and has recently attracted attention as a “superfood”. It is also one of the so-called “orphan crops” which receives less attention in terms of breeding. JIRCAS is embarking on a project aimed at developing improved and high value-added quinoa varieties and clarifying the mechanism of crops that adapt to severe environment and climate conditions in order to gain insights into breeding strategies as countermeasures against climate change.

The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, is now raging across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian-Pakistan border, causing serious damage to crops and serious food crisis. This locust affects almost 10% of the world's population and 20% of the earth’s surface and annual damage of more than 40 billion yen in West Africa alone. Currently, it is feared that the new coronavirus epidemic will greatly hinder support activities in affected countries. JIRCAS is utilizing its vast experience in research collaboration with overseas partners in order to understand the ecology of desert locust in the field and to develop a sustainable management and control system that promotes environmental conservation.

The World Agroforestry (ICRAF) published a book entitled “Climate-Smart Agriculture: Enhancing Resilient Agricultural Systems, Landscapes, and Livelihoods in Ethiopia and Beyond” with the aim of compiling climate-smart technologies and practices towards achieving increased productivity and enhanced resilience to climate change, and to provide guidance for academic, policy, research, outreach and development stakeholders in applying climate-smart technologies.

The Food and Agriculture Organization the United Nations released a new publication identifying the impact of digital innovations and technologies in agriculture and rural areas amidst the future challenges due to increasing world population. The publication entitled “Digital Technologies in Agriculture and Rural Areas – Status Report” provides an overview of the impact of digitalization in agriculture and how it could transform the agri-food value chain.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the Greenhouse Gas Bulletin on the State of Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere Based on Global Observations through 2018, showing that the global average concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere are 147%, 259% and 123% of pre-industrial levels, respectively.

Ms Cathy Watson, Chief of Programme Development at the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya gave a presentation entitled “Agroforestry as a nature-based solution”, at a seminar held in Tokyo on November 11, 2019, providing updates on agroforestry, forestry research for development (R4D), drivers, and game-changers with specific examples from developing countries.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released the 2019 edition of the State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA 2019). SOFA is a major publication of the FAO which aims to provide the general public with a well-balanced and scientific assessment of important issues in the field of food and agriculture. This new edition addresses the issue of food loss and food waste, providing new estimates as Food Loss Index (FLI) and Food Waste Index (FWI), a comprehensive analysis of the critical loss points in the global food supply chain, and appropriate measures that can be undertaken by policy makers for effective reduction.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) has published the Digitalisation of African Agriculture (D4Ag) 2018-2019 Report, summarizing the current state of digital agricultural transformation to meet food and nutrition security while responding to climate change. The report focused on how far the D4Ag has advanced as of 2019, providing perspectives on where it will go in the next 3–5 years, and clarifying what it will take to maximize its potential and explore the roles of different stakeholders for agricultural transformation that can feed Africa.