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1075. Global Food Price Trends for July 2024 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its global food price trends on August 2. The average value in July 2024 was 120.8 points, a slight decline from the previous month as the decline in the grain price index outpaced the increase in vegetable oil, meat, and sugar prices. This figure was 3.1% lower than the previous year and only 24.7% lower than the historic high of 160.3 points in March 2022.
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1074. Potential of Novel Agrifood Technologies

In recent years, technological innovation in the agrifood sector has been progressing rapidly. The United Nations Development Programme report has identified a wide range of innovations and methods that can contribute to improving the efficiency and productivity of conventional agriculture as 'novel agrifood technologies'.
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1073. Atmospheric Methane Uptake by Tree Woody Surfaces

The study, published in Nature, examines woody surface methane exchange in tropical, temperate, and boreal forests. It shows that trees are net methane sinks and that the protection and reforestation of tropical and temperate broad-leaved forests have the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation to a greater extent than previously assumed.
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1072. Definition, Impacts, and Causes of Heat Waves

It seems that the frequency and intensity of heat waves have been increasing recently not only in Japan, but around the world as well. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) has compiled a summary of the definition, impacts, and impact mechanism of heat waves on its website.
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1071. Global Food Expenditure Patterns

In the development of agriculture, trade, and public health policies resulting from the evolution of global food systems, it is crucial to determine whether the demand for food by consumers in low-income countries will become "Westernized" as incomes rise. A paper published in the journal Nature Food examined total food expenditure in more than 90 countries over the past few decades and found that food spending patterns in low-income countries do not necessarily converge universally with those in high-income countries.
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1070. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report (SOFI) 2024

On July 24, the 2024 edition of "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report: SOFI" was released by United Nations agencies (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO), highlighting that in 2023, one in 11 people in the world and one in five in Africa were estimated to have faced hunger. 
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1069. Extreme Heat Epidemic

With a high of 17.16°C on July 22, 2024, last week marked the hottest consecutive daily temperatures on record. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that "billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic – wilting under increasingly deadly heatwaves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That is 122 degrees Fahrenheit – halfway to boiling."
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1068. Conflict-induced Acute Food Crises

Today, conflicts in multiple parts of the world are leading to hunger and severe food crises. On July 17, the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) said 282 million people in 59 countries are facing severe food crises and called for urgent policy intervention to address life-threatening issues.
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1067. New Record Daily Global Average Temperature Reached in July 2024

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the global average daily temperature reached an all-time high of 17.09°C on July 21, 2024.
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1066. A Global Foresight on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing

To prepare for a future of uncertainty and rapid change, we must address strategically and institutionally with an outlook and perspective on the risks facing the world in the future. UNEP has published ‘Navigating New Horizons: A global foresight report on planetary health and human wellbeing’.
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1065. Green Asia Report Series No. 3: BNI Technology

The third issue of the Green Asia Report Series, "BNI Technology," has been published. This series aims to introduce scalable technologies that can be shared in the Asia-Monsoon region and contribute to the transformation of food systems in the region, by serving as a reference for various stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, extension officers, producers, and the private sector. The third issue introduces biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), a technology for which JIRCAS has been leading. BNI technology is expected to reduce fertilizer use and minimize environmental impact.
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1064. Green Asia Report Series No. 2 : Accelerating intermittent irrigation for low-carbon and resilient rice production systems in Asia

The second issue of the Green Asia Report Series, " Accelerating intermittent irrigation for low-carbon and resilient rice production systems in Asia: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities," has been published. This series aims to introduce scalable technologies that can be shared in the Asia-Monsoon region and contribute to the transformation of food systems in the region, by serving as a reference for various stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, extension officers, producers, and the private sector. The second issue introduces intermittent irrigation technology, which is expected to have effects such as water saving, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, and yield stabilization in rice cultivation.
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1063. Fertilizer Price Trends

Chemical fertilizers are essential for global food security. Fertilizer prices soared between 2021 and 2022, pushing global food prices to all-time highs, but fertilizer prices have stabilized, and both demand and trade have rebounded. The outlook for 2024–25 is also stable, but shocks to energy markets could be a risk factor.
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1062. Four Insights on Global Food Price Trends and Food Security

On July 11, the World Bank wrote in its blog that global food price trends and food security since the COVID-19 pandemic have stabilized since reaching record highs in 2022, but a combination of factors continues to exert food inflationary pressures in countries. Additionally, AI tools are expanding the applicability of real-time data to assess the impact on vulnerable segments of society.
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1061. Climate Change and Population Growth: The Need for Resilient and Diverse Crops in African Agriculture

On July 11, the day the 2024 World Population Estimates were released, the Voice of America blog — a national broadcaster run by the U.S. government — emphasized the need for agricultural transformation that incorporates resilient and diverse crops, especially in Africa, as climate change and population growth threaten global food security.
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1060. Measuring "Doughnuts": It Is Possible to Ensure a Decent Life for All Humanity within Planetary Boundaries

A paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production applied the concept of doughnut economics, which advocates the realization of social justice without destroying the natural environment and attempted to examine whether there is a safe and just operating space where basic needs can be met without disturbing the Earth system for all humankind. The results show that, while theoretically possible, large-scale transformation across all sectors and dietary changes are needed, especially through improving agricultural practices and material cycles.
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1059. World Population Prospects 2024

On July 11, the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 report was released. The global population is projected to reach about 8.2 billion by mid-2024 and will continue to grow for the next 6 decades, peaking at 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s then returning to around 10.2 billion by the end of this century.
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1058. World Population Day 2024: Demographic and Economic Share of the Asian Monsoon Region in the Global Context

On this year's World Population Day, we introduce the demographic and economic share of the Asian monsoon region from JIRCAS's Green Asia Report Series, "Driving sustainable food systems transformation in the Asia-Monsoon region with science, technology, and innovation: background and key issues for 'Green Asia' project".
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1057. Human Impacts on Tropical Forest Degradation Are Greater than Expected

Tropical forest degradation is a major cause of carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. A paper published in Nature estimates that the human impact of tropical forest degradation is more than 200% greater than previous estimates.
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1056. The Summer of 2023 Was the Hottest in the Last 2000 Years

While the past 12 months have been reported to be the hottest on record, a paper published in Nature estimated that the summer of 2023 was the hottest in the last 2,000 years, with a maximum temperature variation of 3.93 °C when compared to the coldest summer reproduced under 536 CE conditions.