ChatGPT, a conversational computer program powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has attracted considerable attention in recent years for its ability to learn from large amounts of text data and generate natural sentences. In sub-Saharan Africa, where there is an absolute shortage of agricultural extension workers, can AI provide adequate answers to farmers' questions? Dr. SAITO Kazuki and a team of researchers at IRRI have published in Scientific Reports the results of a study evaluating ChatGPT in an irrigated rice farming region in Nigeria.

Europe had aimed to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides across the EU by 50% by 2030, but amid growing opposition from farmers, European Commission President von der Leyen announced on February 6 that she was withdrawing the measure (shelving it) because it would be difficult to implement at this time. On the same day, however, the Commission proposed ambitious measures to combat climate change. Here is an editorial from a scientific journal on the background of European environmental regulatory developments that also affect the international environmental policy debate.

On February 8, 2024, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that January 2024 was the warmest January on record globally, setting a new record for the hottest month on record for the eighth consecutive month, and 1.52°C above the pre-industrial average for the 12 months from February 2023 to January 2024, briefly exceeding the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C.

At the end of January, a distinguished group of researchers specializing in the economics of climate change, health and nutrition, agriculture, and natural resources collaborated on a global policy report entitled "The Economics of the Food System Transformation". The report calls for urgent change, stating that the negative impact of the food system on human and global health is estimated at over $10 trillion annually, more than the food system's contribution to global GDP.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Trends on February 2, with January 2024 averaging 118.0 points, down 1.2 points (1.0%) from the previous month, reflecting lower grain and meat prices, which offset higher sugar prices. The price index was 13.7 points (10.4%) lower than a year earlier.

Tomorrow is Soybean Day, a celebration deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition of “setsubun”, which is observed as the day before the arrival of spring. In commemoration of Soybean Day, today's feature highlights the importance of soybeans in Japan and around the world. The spotlight extends to ongoing soybean research at JIRCAS, offering insights into the crop's status and impact.

A bill to revise the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas, which sets the basic direction of Japan's agricultural policy, is scheduled to be submitted to the 2024 ordinary Diet session for deliberation.

Join us on February 2 for the "Friday Night Science Café" hosted by the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, in collaboration with JIRCAS (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Today's Pick up presents a paper (Jennings et al. 2024) that simultaneously assesses climate-smart agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Diversifying agricultural production and improving crop productivity are considered essential.