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10. New Coronavirus Pandemic ― Humanitarian and Food Crisis in the Central Sahel: The Case of Burkina Faso
On April 2, 2020, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) expressed strong concern that food insecurity levels in the central Sahel region, encompassing Burkina Faso, Mari and Niger, are “spiralling out of control”. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries, the 182nd out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index, but due to recent droughts and militant activities, the number of internally displaced persons has increased sharply, health centers nationwide have been closed, and the medical system is weakening. As for food-related issues, there is concern that school closure due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will affect children whose only source of nutrition is the school lunch, and movement restrictions would disrupt logistics and prevent external assistance. WFP predicted that by June this year, the number of people facing food security crises could triple, compared to the same period last year, and called on the international community for help.
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9. New Coronavirus Pandemic ― Avoiding Export Control and Protectionism: Lessons from the 2008 World Food Crisis
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.
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8. New Coronavirus Pandemic – Response of the International Community to the Global Food Crisis
The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was confirmed in December 2019, is now sweeping the whole world. The expansion in low-income countries with vulnerable heath care systems including the Sub-Saharan Africa may further worsen the global food and nutrition security crisis in addition to the social and humanitarian crisis in the future. On the night of March 26, 2020, the leaders of 20 countries and regions (G20), including Japan, USA, EU, and emerging countries, held the G20 Summit Video Teleconference Meeting, the first in history of the summit, to respond to the new coronavirus and to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic. In particular, the G20 leaders expressed serious concerns about the crisis facing the developing with vulnerable health systems and economies especially in Africa and the small island states, and a commitment to use all available policy tools in order to minimize the economic and social damage from the pandemic.
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7. International Collaboration on Rice Genetic Resources Research
In Japan, rice improvement programs focus on developing varieties with good taste while well adapted to specific local climatic and weather conditions. Rice is also used as one of the staple crops Most of the poor regions of the world are concentrated in the tropics. On the other hand, the growing influence of global warming and increasing frequencies of extreme weather events in recent years have raised serious concerns of the deterioration of both rice quality and yield in the future. Aiming for stable rice production will greatly contribute to poverty alleviation and social stability in these regions, where Japan can play a strategic role to contribute to global food and nutrition security. JIRCAS is pursuing the conservation rice germplasms and breeding materials and development of a database, in order to contribute to the establishment of an international cooperation system for the conservation and use of rice genetic resources.
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6. Climate Change and Global Food Production Crisis - Call for Sustainable Resource Management Technology
In 2019, the world’s leading international organizations warned that climate change and environmental degradation are progressing more than expected. Along with the negative impact of environmental degradation and climate change on agriculture, it should be noted that agriculture is one of the major contributors to these global problems. Agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) activities accounted for 23% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and changes in these activities are also major causes of loss of biodiversity. In order to achieve food and nutrition security while avoiding irreversible risks in the future, it is necessary to develop and disseminate AFOLU to minimize the negative impacts on climate change and the environment. JIRCAS aims to realize sustainable integration of agriculture and contribute to climate change issues through technological development that improves productivity while sustainably and stably utilizing agricultural resources such as water, soil and fertilizer.
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5.Technology development for stable production of agricultural products in the tropics and other adverse environments
In developing regions such as the sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural production potential has not been fully realized due to poor soil fertility and adverse environmental conditions. Many smallholder farmers in these areas are not consuming massive quantity of water and chemical fertilizers, thus least contributors to climate change, yet are predicted to suffer most from extreme weather events. To end poverty and hunger, it is extremely important to accelerate technological development to enhance stable food production especially in tropical regions where soil and water resources are poor. JIRCAS is pursuing the development of sustainable agricultural technologies in developing regions such as Africa in order to increase productivity and improve food security.
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4. 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.