June 17 is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. It was proposed 30 years ago on June 17, 1994, following the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The Indicators of Global Climate Change (IGCC) initiative publishes updated and revised indicators of global climate in line with the IPCC's methodology. According to the estimated indicators, anthropogenic warming is progressing at an unprecedented rate since observations began, while the rate of increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade has slowed compared to the 2000s, suggesting that the slowdown can be inherited through social choice.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its global food price trends on June 7. The average value in May 2024 was 120.4 points, a slight increase of 1.1 points (0.9%) from April, reflecting a slight increase in grain and dairy prices slightly outpacing the decline in sugar and cooking oil prices. Despite the third consecutive month of price increases, it was still 3.4% lower than the previous year and 24.8% lower than the historic high of 160.2 points in March 2022.

World Food Safety Day on June 7 is designed to raise awareness of food safety among all people and encourage them to take action to prevent foodborne illnesses. JIRCAS has been developing technical solutions that lead to the improvement of food safety for traditional foods from Southeast Asia by making full use of scientific knowledge.

The theme of World Environment Day 2024 is "Our land. Our future.”  While we may not be able to turn back time, we must work to restore ecosystems around the world by nurturing forests, restoring water sources, and restoring lost soils to achieve the SDGs.

Unhealthy eating habits are one of the biggest causes of nutritional problems. According to FAO, food education refers to a range of educational strategies to help people improve their eating habits and achieve long-term behavior change at all levels: individual, family, society, and country. In Japan, June is designated as "Food Education Month," and we aim to further spread food education by conducting a focused and effective campaign.

May 30 is designated as the International Day of Potato, which provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on potatoes.

On May 23, the World Weather Attribution (WWA), which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, issued a preliminary analysis. According to their findings, the recent heavy rains that affected East Africa were more likely caused by climate change than the effects of El Niño. They also warned that poor urban planning could increase vulnerability to flood damage as climate change is expected to intensify extreme rains.

The agri-food systems are estimated to account for one-third of the global share of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank's new report, "Recipe for a Livable Planet," states that significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can help build food security and climate resilience, and protect vulnerable populations through feasible actions that improve soil, ecosystems, and human health while feeding the world's growing population.