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Pick Up764. EU’s Climate Change Policy
On April 18, the European Parliament adopted a policy to promote ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions within the region and ambitious targets for non-EU member states to reach 2030 climate targets. As a major global influence in setting rules on climate change and environmental measures, Europe's actions are likely to have a significant impact on the policies and strategies of countries around the world. -
Pick Up763. Earth System and Socio-economic System
Tomorrow, April 22, is International Mother Earth Day. This day was first observed on April 22, 1970, in the United States, where interest in environmental issues had been growing since the 1960s, and has since helped to raise international awareness of the global environment. This year’s theme is "Invest in Our Planet. -
Pick Up762. IFPRI Flagship Report on Global Food Policy for 2023
In April, the flagship report of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on global food policy for 2023 was released. This year's subtitle is "Rethinking Food Crisis Responses".
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Pick Up761. Current Food Price Situation
On April 14, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported that international prices for all major cereals fell in March, with wheat, maize and rice prices all falling due to a combination of factors. Meanwhile, FAO analysis shows that domestic prices for staple crops remain high. The Black Sea Grains Initiative, which was agreed to be extended for 60 days on 18 March, is now less than a month away from its expiry date, and uncertainty is growing as Russia has announced its refusal to extend it and neighboring countries are reportedly moving to ban Ukrainian wheat exports and transit.
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Pick Up760. Effectively Preventing Nitrogen Pollution on Croplands Around the World
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers on farmland upsets the balance of the nitrogen cycle in nature, polluting groundwater and rivers and contributing to global warming. Reducing nitrogen pollution is urgent, but the millions of small and large agricultural plots scattered around the world pose a significant challenge. A paper published earlier this year in Nature reviewed reports from around the world and identified 11 measures that could significantly reduce nitrogen runoff from farmland into air and water, while increasing crop yields and improving nitrogen use efficiency.
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Pick Up759. Plastic Pollution, a Borderless Challenge
Inexpensive, lightweight, and extremely durable, plastic products offer tremendous benefits to people's lives. Plastic bags and containers play an essential role in the food supply chain, contributing significantly to the reduction of food loss and waste. On the other hand, environmental pollution caused by plastics is a serious problem that has no borders and requires action by the international community.
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Pick Up758. Towards Establishing Effective Farmyard Manure Application in Nutrient-poor Soils in Africa
As fertilizer resources continue to be depleted and soar in prices, the use of farmyard manure derived from locally available organic materials is attracting attention to achieve increased food production in infertile soils widely distributed in Africa. In order to use farmyard manure to efficiently improve crop growth, it is important to know where and what kind of farmyard manure to apply. A research team from JIRCAS and the University of Antananarivo conducted rice cultivation trials in a poor-nutrient paddy field in Madagascar to determine the characteristics of the paddy soil and the farmyard manure that are more likely to increase yield when applied to the paddy fields.
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Pick Up757. UN World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water
The “UN World Water Development Report 2023: Partnership and Cooperation for Water”, a report by the UNESCO World Water Quality Assessment Program, provides a clear picture on the status of water use in agriculture.
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Pick Up756. Towards Conservation of Crop Diversity
The resilience and sustainability of food systems depend heavily on crop diversity. Many breeding scientists use crop diversity to develop new varieties and farmers to diversify risk. On March 27, PNAS published a special issue on conservation of crop genetic resource diversity.
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Pick Up755. GHG Emissions Continued to Increase in 2022
On April 5, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that greenhouse gas emissions continued to increase in 2022, with atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide due to anthropogenic activities reaching historic levels. -
Pick Up754. March 2023 World Food Price Index
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released on April 7 the World Food Price Index for March 2023, averaging 126.9 points, down 2.1% from the previous month, the 12th consecutive monthly decline, and 32.8 points (20.5%) lower than the high reached a year ago in March 2022. The decline reflected fall in cereal, vegetable oil, and dairy price indeces. On the other hand, depending on developments in international logistics for Russian grains and fertilizers, the impact of the food supply chain disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be prolonged.
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Pick Up753. Solutions to Meet Feed Demand
The production and consumption of animal products and their feed is increasing in the modern food system. Global meat production has quadrupled in the last 50 years, and there is a growing need to monitor trends in livestock and feed production and consumption for their impact on the food system. Here we present the "Solutions to Meet the Need for Feed" proposed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an international NGO.
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Pick Up752. Project Leader Marcy Wilder Participates in the 2023 Award Ceremony of the Japan Prize of Agricultural Science / Yomiuri Prize of Agricultural Science
Dr. Marcy Wilder, Project Leader in the Fisheries Division, received the "2023 Japan Prize of Agricultural Science/Yomiuri Prize of Agricultural Science" and delivered a commemorative lecture at the Award Ceremony on April 5, 2023.
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Pick Up751. The Relationship Between Human and Nature in the Anthropocene
The Anthropocene is a hypothetical geological epoch proposed to mark the beginning of man's profound impact on the Earth's geology and ecosystems. In a recently published report, the European Environment Agency called for a fundamental shift in existing thinking and paradigms, including consumerism.
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Pick Up750. JIRCAS-Erianthus Database of Native Erianthus Germplasm in Thailand Now Available
The JIRCAS-Erianthus database on morphological and agronomic characteristics of native Erianthus germplasm in Thailand, jointly collected by JIRCAS and the Khon Kaen Field Crops Research Center of Thailand, has been released. This database is expected to promote the use of Erianthus in sugarcane breeding, research, and biomass utilization in Thailand and other countries.
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Pick Up749. Reports on Climate Change Featured in Pick Up
FY2023 has begun. The JIRCAS Pick Up features many reports published by international organizations and other organizations. In FY2022, we featured 23 reports. In this issue, we have compiled a summary of four reports on climate change from those published in FY2022.
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Pick Up748. Recent Food Price Inflation and Fertilizer Problems
March has come to an end and the 2022 financial year is drawing to a close. Over the past year, global price indices for food, energy and fertiliser have soared to all-time highs, driven by fears of disruption to the global food supply chain following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Although international prices have calmed recently, food price inflation continues to rise globally and small countries in sub-Saharan Africa are finding it difficult to secure alternative sources of fertilizer imports, suggesting that fertilizer consumption may have fallen significantly. -
Pick Up747. Thinking About Regenerative Agriculture
In recent years, there has been a growing movement, mainly in the private sector and civil society, to promote a "regenerative" approach to agriculture. The word "regenerative" seems to mean "to regenerate and revitalize what is broken. Indeed, the current agricultural and food system is one of the biggest causes of the most serious environmental crises of our time: climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, rather than simply winding back the hands of the clock, we need to embrace technological and economic progress and seek regenerative pathways that are adapted to the circumstances of each region of the world. The outdoor company Patagonia will hold its first conference in Japan on the theme of "Regenerative Organic”. JIRCAS will also present a lecture that will give a bird's eye view of the state of agriculture and food systems today. -
Pick Up746. Day-to-day Temperature Variability
Temperatures have been fluctuating wildly of late. For the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic, people looking forward to cherry blossom viewing and the food service industry may have been affected. Today, we look back at a paper published in Nature Climate Change, which we have mentioned before, that evaluates the relationship between daily temperature fluctuations and economic growth.
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Pick Up745. The 2nd Meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Board for Strategy “MIDORI”
With the launching of the Sustainable Food Systems Strategy “MIDORI” in May 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is promoting the application of agricultural technologies which enhance production potentials and ensure sustainable food systems. From FY2022, MAFF has initiated the project “Accelerating application of agricultural technologies which enhance production potentials and ensure sustainable food systems in the Asia-Monsoon region”, which is now being implementing at JIRCAS under the name of the "Green Asia” project. The 2nd meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Board for Strategy “MIDORI” was held on March 16, 2023.