According to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the East African region is currently facing the triple threat of COVID-19, floods and locusts. Although East Africa is home to only about 3% of the world's population, the region also hosts 22 percent of the world’s total number of acutely food-insecure people. It is expected that the socio-economic fallout from the pandemic will be far more devastating than the disease itself due the unemployment of people in the urban areas.

The World Meteorological Organization released a report, “The Global Climate in 2015–2019”" on April 22, 2020. According to the report, the physical signs of climate change and the impact on our planet have gathered pace, reaching a crescendo in the past five years, and this trend is expected to continue. Whilst COVID-19 has caused a severe international health and economic crisis, failure to tackle climate change may threaten human well-being, ecosystems and economies for centuries.

As of April 22, 2020, which marks the 50th anniversary of International Earth Day, the COVID-19 continues to spread around the world. According to the United Nations, 75% of new infectious diseases that occur every four months are of animal origin, showing a very close relationship between humans, animals and environmental health. The destruction of biodiversity by human intervention in nature is believed to be responsible for the increase in zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. On this day dedicated to Mother Earth, the UN referred to COVID-19, climate crisis and loss of biodiversity, and called for the urgency to shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.

Yeasts are indispensable in the production of seasonings and fermented foods that are directly related to our diet. Yeasts in the genus Saccharomyces used for making bread and sake are called "industrial yeasts" and have been used as model organisms in the scientific field. On the other hand, about 100 genera of yeasts with different functions and properties from Saccharomyces yeast have been reported. For example, there are yeasts that have heat resistance and can be fermented at 40 ℃ or higher, and yeasts that grow and ferment under strong acidic conditions. These yeast species are called non-conventional yeast, and are expected to have high industrial potential such as oil and fat production, surfactant production, biodegradable plastic decomposition etc. JIRCAS focuses on the cell wall components of new industrial yeast that promote immune activation of animal cells, and we are conducting research to develop livestock feed supplement to suppress mastitis in dairy cows.

Rapidly declining cost of solar and wind power generation has caused the acceleration of the transition to renewable energy globally, especially in the power sector. However, the global movement restrictions due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) combined with slowdowns of economic activities due to disruptions in the supply chain and closure of related equipment factories, have casted a shadow on the growth outlook for 2020. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the impact of lower oil prices on renewable energy is limited, but the short-term effects on renewable energy use including biofuels are becoming apparent in the transportation sector. The need for accelerating energy transformation, a key component of the long-term goals for the climate safe future remain unchanged ever after the coronavirus crisis. Rather, it is now necessary to pave the way toward the decarbonization of socioeconomic systems and thereby achieving Sustainable Development Goals (IRENA March 14, 2020).

Cultivation of export commodity crops such as tea and coffee has become popular in developing countries located in the highlands of tropical and subtropical regions. Until recently, the flower and horticulture industry has also rapidly grown due to the establishment of air freight networks to major destinations, and is now integrated into the global value chain due to increased exports. The COVID-19 causes devasting economic crisis to developing countries that depend on commodity crop exports due to declining international demand and suspension of international flights. On April 8, 2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) predicted a 13-32% drop in world trade volume in 2020, calling for unprecedented measures to protect people's lives and the need to pay close attention to the food security situation of food importing countries that rely on commodity crops for foreign currency acquisition, GDP, and job creation.

Ishigaki Island, which has been attracting attention as a tourist destination in the world in recent years, is geographically closer to Taiwan than the main island of Okinawa, and belongs to a subtropical region in terms of climate. The Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF), a research base of JIRCAS on Ishigaki Island, is the only Japanese agricultural research institute capable of conducting empirical research in the cultivation environment of tropical crops, and has a major mission to contribute to domestic and overseas agriculture. TARF is conducting research on mangoes and passion fruits with the aim of contributing to the promotion of tropical fruit tree production in both developing countries and Japan. Since these fruits are rich in nutrients such as vitamins and have high commercial value, research that leads to the development of excellent varieties is expected to benefit both domestic and overseas consumers and producers.

The global food chain is being tested for its robustness and resilience when it comes to movement restrictions and urban blockades (lockdowns) due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In order for the international community to overcome the global food crisis, it is necessary to closely monitor the trends in international trade. The trade value of all agricultural products has tripled in face value from 2000 to 2018, and has almost doubled on a weight basis over the same period. Japan is the world’s third-largest cereal importer, and one of the reasons for a calorie-based food self-sufficiency rate of 37% is the heavy reliance on imported maize for livestock feed. The international rice trade from Asia to the Middle East and Africa is surprisingly large and the net per capita rice consumption of importing countries is even higher than Japan. In recent years, rice consumption in Africa has been increasing year by year due to urbanization and population growth, and agricultural technologies that contribute to continuous increase in yield and planted areas are the key to improving the self-sufficiency rate.

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, panic buying and stockpiling of food in response to lockdowns and restrictions on movement have been reported in many countries around the world. As of April 2020, it is said that there is a sufficient stockpile of major cereals globally, but if the nationalism of food security rises in the future and the malfunction of the global food supply system occurs, there is concern that a food price crisis would occur at the same time as the return of the Lehman shock. The Sub-Saharan African countries and net food importers such as Japan are most likely to be affected by the chain of export restrictions by food exporters and food price spikes. A joint statement of the Director-Generals of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretary-General emphasized that, as people around the world today rely on international trade for food security and livelihoods, the international community must cooperate in avoiding export restrictions.