In the wake of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, there is growing recognition that food systems are a key lever for accelerating and strengthening progress on the SDGs. In the first stocktake of 2023, countries committed to accelerating the pace of efforts towards food system transformation. The UN is calling on all member states to participate in the 2nd stocktaking of the UN Food Systems Summit to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July this year.

Freshwater, essential for ecosystems and human existence, is becoming increasingly scarce. A study published in Nature Communications quantified and mapped the current "water gap" (the shortage where demand for water exceeds supply) around the world and projected that global water shortages would increase by nearly 6% if temperatures rise below 1.5°C, and by nearly 15% if temperatures rise below 3°C.

Sugarcane is harvested in winter (or dry season), one to one and a half years after it is newly planted, and then the remaining ‘sprout’ from the plant stubble is grown until the next harvest as ratoon cropping. This method requires less tillage and is more efficient in terms of fertilizer use efficiency than new planting, and is therefore attracting attention as a labor-saving and low-carbon cultivation method. On the other hand, it is also known that multiple ratooning results in a gradual yield decline. With the ageing of producers and expectations for production with less environmental impact, the number of ratooning times is increasing, and there is a strong need for novel cultivation methods and improved varieties that do not reduce productivity even if sugarcane is cropped under multiple ratooning. The sugarcane research team at the Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) began evaluating wild genetic resources contributing to the improvement of multiple ratooning in the C4 ‘Tropical Crop Resources’ project in April 2021, and completed a harvest survey of the third ratoon cropping in January 2025.

Innovations in crop breeding by domestic and international agricultural research institutes have not only contributed greatly to increasing the yield of staple crops in developing countries, but also have a significant impact on the environment. A study published in PNAS showed that between 1961 and 2015, crop improvements may have curbed the expansion of cultivated land, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use, and saved thousands of endangered species.

With the current national carbon emission reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement, global temperatures are expected to rise by 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. Man-made climate change is affecting every region around the world, with the Arctic being one of the most affected. A review paper published in Science showed that with a warming of 2.7°C, the Arctic could change beyond recognition in modern times, with far-reaching effects.

February 10th is World Pulses Day. I will introduce the importance of legume crops in sustainable agriculture.

As we enter February, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) cited the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 in its newsletter and listed six things to know about 2025.

Many countries are facing severe data shortages when it comes to tracking progress on food and nutrition security. A blog from the World Bank highlighted five concerning statistics about global food security, emphasizing the importance of data innovation in the fight against hunger.

In the ongoing global effort to combat climate change, land-based mitigation strategies that utilize plant carbon fixation are currently considered the only scalable way to remove carbon. The study, published in the journal Science, suggested that while the loss of biodiversity associated with afforestation and bioenergy cropping may outweigh the benefits of climate mitigation, reforestation is the most effective in terms of biodiversity conservation.