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.

The Thai Science and Technology Fair is the largest fair of the year in Thailand featuring advances in science and technology. The 2019 fair under the concept of “Science, Technology and Innovation: Inspiring Creativity for Better Living and Sustainability for the Nation” was held at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Center in the province of Nonthaburi from August 16-25, 2019.

The Food and Agriculture Organization released the 2019 edition of the “State of Food Security in the World” providing an overview of food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition at the global and regional levels. Among the major highlights, it is estimated that more than 820 million people in the world were still hungry in 2018 underscoring the immense challenge of achieving the SDG of Zero Hunger by 2030.

The International Renewable Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, has published a study on the bioenergy potential from sugarcane and associated development costs in seven sugar-producing countries in the Southern Africa focusing on economic potential in expanding bioenergy production and reducing price of fuel and electricity.

The Food Security Information Network (FSIN) released the Global Report on Food Crises 2019. The report focuses on the plight of millions of people suffering from acute hunger and malnutrition. It also points out that conflict, economic shocks, climate change and natural disasters continue to put the lives and livelihoods of large number of people around the world at risk of hunger.

According to the 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects, the proportion of the world's population that is urban, which is 55% today, is projected to increase to 68% by 2050, with 90% of the additional 2.5 billion people concentrated in Asia and Africa. In the context of the global urbanization trend, sustainable development will depend on responding adequately to urban expansion in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, which are projected to urbanize most rapidly by 2050. Improving the livelihoods of both rural and urban populations will require balanced policies while strengthening urban-rural, economic, social and environmental linkages.