In December 2020, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published The Least Developed Countries Report 2020. According to the report, the GDP per capita of least developed countries (LDCs) is projected to contract by 2.6% in 2020 and to experience their worst economic performance in the last 30 years. It is also predicted that the poverty rate will rise from 32.5% to 35.7% due to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. 

JIRCAS has been involved in agricultural technology development in developing countries, many of which are LDCs. It is necessary to aim for technological development to raise and stabilize agriculture, which is the production base, while exploring ways to utilize new technologies using digital tools, while taking into account local infrastructure and capacity issues.

The full report is available at:

UNCTAD. The Least Developed Countries Report 2020  https://unctad.org/webflyer/least-developed-countries-report-2020

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Research Strategy Office)