Field Information - Pick Up
Search Information Analysis
-
Pick Up
882. Enhancing Health-Boosting Properties of Black Rice via Optimal Phosphorus Management
Rice is the most important crop in Laos and serves as the country's staple food. However, because Laos is a landlocked country with high transportation costs and major rice-producing countries nearby, the production and export of rice with high added value and differentiation from other countries is essential to expand the Lao rice market. Therefore, JIRCAS promotes research focusing on Lao black rice as a promising commodity with excellent market potential. In our research on phosphorus management in black rice, we have shown that it is possible to achieve both productivity and functionality of black rice by introducing soil-appropriate phosphorus fertilization management. These results will provide important knowledge for improving the livelihood of black rice producers in developing countries.
-
Pick Up
881. Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security
Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to disaster risk. On October 13, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a report on the impact of disasters on agriculture, estimating that $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock production has been lost worldwide over the past 30 years. The report estimates that $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock production has been lost worldwide over the past 30 years.
-
Pick Up
880. Heat Wave and Drought in South America
Record-breaking high temperatures in September this year have already been reported by European meteorological agencies. As the Southern Hemisphere entered spring in September, an unusual heat wave exceeding 40°C (104°F) occurred, prompting World Weather Attribution to point out the influence of climate change in analyzing the causal relationship between extreme phenomena and climate change.
-
Pick Up
879. Impact of Pesticide Reduction on Food and Feed Security
Modern agricultural production systems rely heavily on chemicals, including fertilizers to increase yields and pesticides to control pests. A paper published in Nature Food discusses the environmental impact of pesticides in Europe and their short- and long-term losses and impacts on food and feed security, and the need to address research and policy bottlenecks for a more sustainable food system by recognizing differences in pesticide use by farmers, regions and crops, and by improving data collection on pesticide use.
-
Pick Up
878. World Food Day 2023 ~Water is life, water is food. Leave no one is left behind.~
Today, October 16, is the United Nations World Food Day, and the theme for 2023 is water. We want to address the challenges the world and we face in relation to water, which is essential for food production.
-
Pick Up
877. Seminar: Neglected and Underutilised Plant SpeciesーContributions and potential for sustainable food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa
At the nexus of food security, climate change, rural livelihoods, and environmental sustainability there have been calls to leverage the potential of high-yielding Neglected and underutilised plant species (NUS) that are climate-robust and nutrient-rich. On October 26, the University of Tokyo's Center for Future Vision and JIRCAS will hold a hybrid seminar on NUS to provide a forum for scientists engaged in NUS research abroad and in Japan to discuss the characteristics, potential and challenges of adopting and utilizing NUS in different African contexts.
-
Pick Up
876. Food Security and Clean Energy Transition Threatened by Geoeconomic Fragmentation
In an increasingly globalized world, rare metals and agricultural products essential to the transition to a green economy are concentrated in a small number of producing and exporting countries with resource endowments and comparative advantages, exposing them to the risk of trade disruptions due to geopolitical crises. An International Monetary Fund (IMF) blog warned that geo-economic fragmentation could threaten the transition to food security and clean energy.
-
Pick Up
875. Temperature Trends in 2023 and COP28 Stocktaking
Temperatures have been fluctuating wildly since the beginning of October, and it has been announced that Japan and the rest of the world recorded much higher than normal temperatures in September 2023. One Earth's article discusses areas such as non-CO2 gases, carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and halting deforestation that need to be addressed in order to achieve the Paris Agreement.
-
Pick Up
874. September 2023 World Food Price Index
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its World Food Price Index on October 6. The index averaged 121.5 points in September 2023, unchanged from the previous month and 21.6 points (14.6%) lower than the previous year, as higher sugar and grain price indicators were offset by lower vegetable oil and meat price indicators. The index was 38.3 points (24.0%) lower than its peak value in March 2022.
-
Pick Up
873. Global Agricultural Productivity
On October 3, Virginia Tech released its Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report), which highlights the need to achieve an average global agricultural productivity increase of 1.91% per year through the adoption of productivity and efficiency-enhancing technologies and practices to feed a growing world population while preserving the environment.
-
Pick Up
872. Uncertainties in the Global Rice Market
On July 20, the Indian government announced a ban on exports of non-basmati rice in an effort to contain domestic prices, raising concerns that this will lead to a spike in world prices. In addition, the impact of unfavorable weather conditions caused by the El Niño phenomenon on rice production has also become a source of uncertainty regarding rice price trends. The following is a discussion paper by researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
-
Pick Up
871. African Food Systems
Over the past few decades, global food security indicators have improved, driven by the economic boom in China. Africa, however, still faces the same challenges of hunger and malnutrition as it did decades ago. To accelerate change to solve the problem, the continent itself must change, as discussed in this article on the African food system published in Nature Food.
-
Pick Up
870. JIRCAS International Symposium 2023 “Innovations to enhance the resilience of tropical forests and sustainability of the forest industry”
The JIRCAS International Symposium 2023, to be held on November 17, 2023, will bring together researchers, companies, and policy makers working in the field of global and Asian tropical forests to discuss opportunities and challenges that can combine tropical forest resilience and industrial sustainability.
-
Pick Up
869. Revisiting the Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Paddy Fields
Research on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from paddy fields and its mitigation started in the 1980s, and a great deal of knowledge has been accumulated so far. Although meta-analyses have achieved success to synthesize fragmentary knowledge, it has been two decades since GHG emissions from paddy fields were comprehensively reviewed. Therefore, JIRCAS together with international research experts, especially those from Nanjing Agricultural University, China, revisited the the mitigation of GHG emissions from paddy fields and published a comprehensive review paper from Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
-
Pick Up
868. The 4th International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste
September 29, 2023 marks the 4th year of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste designated by the United Nations. Reducing food loss is necessary for the people and the planet.
-
Pick Up
867. JIRCAS Joins Global Festa Japan 2023 - International Cooperation to Build the World
From September 30 (Saturday) to October 1 (Sunday), JIRCAS will participate in the "Global Festa Japan 2023" event and present its research activities and international cooperation related to "quinoa".
-
Pick Up
866. Ocean Acidification Stripes
The oceans play a dual role in climate change, absorbing a significant portion of the excess heat generated by increased greenhouse gas concentrations and serving as a sink for carbon dioxide emitted by humans. However, this absorption has triggered a worrying phenomenon known as ocean acidification, which poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems. In an effort to underscore the seriousness of this issue, researchers have developed a visualization tool called "ocean acidification stripes".
-
Pick Up
865. Impact of Climate Change on Heavy Rainfall in the Mediterranean Region in September
World Weather Attribution, an organization that analyzes the link between extreme events and climate change, highlighted that climate change played a role in the heavy rains that hit the Mediterranean region in the first half of September, affecting countries such as Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Libya.
-
Pick Up
864. Recent Food Price Situation
According to the World Bank's September 2023 update, food price increases outpaced increases in the consumer price index in 81 percent of the 162 countries for which data are available. While grain price indexes are declining overall due to falling maize and wheat prices, India's export restrictions are causing disruptions and price spikes in the rice market. Also of concern is the upward trend in prices of chemical fertilizers and other agricultural inputs in response to rising fuel prices.
-
Pick Up
863. SDG Progress Report on Agriculture and Food 2023
The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, a critical global milestone, is now halfway to its deadline. As part of this agenda, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is contributing to eight agriculture and food-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goals 1 (No poverty), 2 (Zero hunger), 5 (Gender equality), 6 (Clean water and sanitation), 10 (Reduced inequalities), 12 (Responsible consumption and production), 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land). On September 15, FAO released its annual report, "Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators 2023," which assesses progress toward these goals.