Field Information - Pick Up
Search Information Analysis
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Pick Up4. Quinoa in Salar de Uyuni - Prospects in "Superfood" Orphan Crop Research
The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, known worldwide as a miracle of nature, is surrounded by fields with high salinity and barren lands devoid of major crops. Quinoa is an extremely rare crop that grows in such a severe environment and has recently attracted attention as a “superfood”. It is also one of the so-called “orphan crops” which receives less attention in terms of breeding. JIRCAS is embarking on a project aimed at developing improved and high value-added quinoa varieties and clarifying the mechanism of crops that adapt to severe environment and climate conditions in order to gain insights into breeding strategies as countermeasures against climate change.
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3. Changing perspectives in agricultural research on global food and nutrition security
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition improvement. To increase public awareness towards achieving these goals, Japan is hosting the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) in December 2020. Malnutrition such as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency and obesity are urgent global issues. Agriculture must now find ways to build a food production system that can provide a stable supply of healthy and nutritious food without burdening the earth. JIRCAS conducts farm surveys in rural areas of Africa and empirically analyzes the food and nutrition supply with the aim of exploring effective strategies to address these issues and contribute to global food and nutrition security.
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2. Towards the development of preventive control technologies for desert locust
The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, is now raging across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian-Pakistan border, causing serious damage to crops and serious food crisis. This locust affects almost 10% of the world's population and 20% of the earth’s surface and annual damage of more than 40 billion yen in West Africa alone. Currently, it is feared that the new coronavirus epidemic will greatly hinder support activities in affected countries. JIRCAS is utilizing its vast experience in research collaboration with overseas partners in order to understand the ecology of desert locust in the field and to develop a sustainable management and control system that promotes environmental conservation.
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1. JIRCAS @ 50th Anniversary: Continuous Commitment to SDGs and Agricultural Research
In line with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of JIRCAS this year, the Information Analysis Program has set up this “Pick up” section to provide a forum for world news and topics related to climate change and food security, and to introduce JIRCAS' research activities related to the field. The opening topic is about SDGs and our continuous commitment to agricultural research. We look forward to your continuous support as we explore recent news and topics related to international agricultural research.