The International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South, observed on September 16, provides an opportunity to reaffirm that promoting science, technology and innovation is essential not only to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and leaving no one behind, but also to creating a more equitable, participatory, and inclusive world.

As pressures from human activities are expected to affect marine ecosystems globally, planning for a sustainable future requires predicting the distribution of cumulative impacts from multiple pressures. A paper published in Science predicts that the cumulative impacts of human activities on global marine ecosystems will double by the mid-21st century, and that future impacts will be uneven across regions, with the highest average impacts expected in both tropical and polar regions.

Along with average yield, interannual variability in crop yield is an important determinant of food security. While previous studies have shown increased yield variability due to global warming, it is increasingly clear that changes in water availability are also an important determinant of yield. A paper published in Science Advances quantified the impact of climate change on variability in yield of corn, soybean, and sorghum due to changes in temperature and soil moisture at a global scale.

Methane is considered the second most important driver of climate change. A study published in Nature Communications examined the latest trends in methane emissions from 164 countries, from both production and consumption perspectives. Taking into account the high levels of emissions in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, as well as regional and sectoral trends, the study proposes technologies to mitigate emissions drivers through improved energy efficiency and cleaner production technologies.

A new report from the United Nations University (UNU-Institute for Water, Environment, and Health: INWEH) shows that virtual water transfers through food trade alleviate water scarcity for the majority of the world's population, but exacerbate it for millions of people, particularly those living in low-income regions.

On Thursday, August 21, from 18:30 to 19:30, the TICAD9 Thematic Event (MAFF Seminar) titled “Fostering the Future Through International Collaborative Research: Young Researchers Engaging with Africa” was held in a hybrid format at Exhibition Hall D of Pacifico Yokohama. The event was organized by JIRCAS and supported by the Japan Intellectual Support Network in Agricultural Sciences (JISNAS).

Looking back at Nature articles from 50 years ago, its archive reveals that scientists of the time convened a series of international conferences aimed at developing research strategies to effectively address key issues in the interactions between climate, food, and society. At the time, the world had been experiencing cooling since the first half of the 20th century. However, scientists generally agreed that climate change, rather than temperature change itself, posed a more serious threat to the world's food supply. This led to discussions about the need for science and technology to contribute to resolving the increasingly serious issues related to climate, food, and society.

Rice diseases such as bacterial blight and rice blast threaten the livelihoods of farmers in Asia and Africa and jeopardize food security. Scientists address these threats through the development of highly specialized rice lines (near-isogenic lines, or NILs) that carry unique resistance genes in a uniform background. The bacterial blight and rice blast lines, developed through long-standing collaboration between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), have become the global standard in rice disease research. This blog from the IRRI looks back on the achievements of the IRRI-JIRCAS collaborative research.

The Thailand National Science and Technology Fair 2025 is Thailand's largest annual science and technology exhibition. This year, it was held at the Queen Sirikit International Convention Center in Bangkok from August 9th to 17th. JIRCAS exhibited the results of its international collaborative research on Khanom Jeen, a traditional Thai fermented rice noodle, and Khon Kaen 4, a recommended Thai sugarcane variety.