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Pick Up827. Climate Change Significantly Increased the Occurrence of Extreme Heatwaves in July 2023
In July of this year, record-high temperatures have been surpassed in various parts of the world. On July 16th, the temperatures exceeded 50℃ in Death Valley, USA, and in northwestern China. On July 25th, the World Weather Attribution, an organization that analyzes extreme events and their connection to climate change, reported that extreme heatwaves similar to those observed in North America, Southern Europe, and China during July 2023 are becoming more likely due to climate change.
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Pick Up826. Climate Change and Climate Justice
The impacts of climate change extend beyond the countries and regions that have been the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Late developing countries and regions, often referred to as the Global South, which have historically contributed relatively little to emissions, are also suffering significant negative impacts. Recent papers have argued that the private wealth of today's wealthy countries has been built on "climate wealth borrowing," essentially borrowing from the world's total wealth, and emphasize the need to retrospectively assess historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. Another paper suggests that the discourse on responsibility for climate change should shift from normative and ethical concepts to a focus on practical considerations in specific contexts. -
Pick Up825. UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment Side Event
The United Nations Food System Summit was held in September 2021. Following that, a meeting for stocktaking is scheduled to take place every two years. The first of these meetings, known as the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2), is being held for three days starting today, July 24th, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and JIRCAS will host an official UNFSS+2 side event on July 24.
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Pick Up824. Food Production and Ecosystem
Geopolitical factors such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and extreme weather conditions, as evidenced by the daily heat waves, bring uncertainty to food security. It is at times like these that we must consider the need for ecosystem restoration that will lead to a strengthening of the food production base.
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Pick Up823. Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have released the 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report.
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Pick Up822. Russian Withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative
Over the past year, since its conclusion last July, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has contributed to global food security with three extensions. However, on July 17, as the attack on the Crimean bridge was reported, it was announced that Russia would withdraw from the grain agreement, risking a resurgence of rising food prices. -
Pick Up821. Catastrophic Heat Waves Around the World
Recent heat waves of unprecedented intensity in the Northern Hemisphere have caused damage to human health, ecosystems, economies, agriculture, and energy and water supplies. Against this backdrop, it has been reported that John Kerry, the U.S. President's Special Envoy on Climate Issues, is visiting Beijing, China, where the world's two largest emitters will resume negotiations to coordinate action on climate change. The world is watching to see if the unprecedented pace of record high temperatures will move the major powers to take action on climate change.
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Pick Up820. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023: Global Hunger Still Far Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
On July 12, five UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO) jointly released the 2023 edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI). This year's report focuses on urbanization.
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Pick Up819. World Hunger Status and Outlook
According to Hunger Hotspots, a report jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations, 18 hunger hotspots covering 22 countries are feared to emerge in the period June-November 2023, and people in these areas could face severe food insecurity. The State of the World's Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) 2023, released by the UN agency on July 12, also estimated that 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, 122 million more than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Pick Up818. Rice Seeds High in Phytic Acid can Improve Early Growth
In recent years, in addition to the situation in Ukraine and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been concern about the depletion of phosphorus ore, the raw material for fertilizers, and the price of phosphorus fertilizers continues to rise. In the tropical developing regions where JIRCAS conducts research, weathered soils with phosphorus deficiencies are widespread, but sufficient phosphorus fertilizers cannot be purchased and applied for economic reasons. For this reason, JIRCAS has been engaged in various studies to overcome phosphorus deficiency. The results of a study on the early growth of rice plants using seeds with different amounts of phytic acid, which serves as a phosphorus reservoir in the seeds, showed that the use of seeds with high amounts of phytic acid can improve the early growth of rice plants not only in phosphorus-deficient soils but also in phosphorus-rich soils.
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Pick Up817. World Population Day 2023
July 11 is World Population Day. Understanding the possible patterns of future population levels and the demographics of individual countries and regions is critical to maintaining food and nutrition security, as well as addressing international development issues and climate change solutions.
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Pick Up816. June 2023 World Food Price Index
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its latest World Food Price Trends on July 7. The June 2023 index averaged 122.3 points, down 1.7 points (1.4%) from the previous month and 37.4 points (23.4%) below the all-time high reached in March 2022. The June decline reflects significant declines in the price indices for sugar, vegetable oil, cereals and dairy products, while meat prices were virtually unchanged.
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Pick Up815. Need for a Geographically Differentiated Fertilizer Strategy
Geopolitical conflicts and supply disruptions are an opportunity to remind us of our vulnerability to the interconnected fuel, fertilizer and food crises. The sharp rise in nitrogen fertilizer prices threatens food security, but countries that overuse and underuse fertilizer should respond differently. A paper published June 29 in Nature Sustainability examines the effectiveness of geographically differentiated organic and fertilizer policies in countries and regions that overuse and underuse nitrogen fertilizers.
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Pick Up814. Parties Continue to Look for a Breakthrough to Extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped avert a global food crisis by guaranteeing exports of Ukrainian crops, is reportedly being mediated by the EU and the UN as the July 17 deadline for re-extension looms and Russia takes a stand against extending the agreement. While a breakdown in negotiations could reignite fears of rising global food prices, last-minute coordination among the parties involved appears to be continuing. -
Pick Up813. Signs of El Nino
On July 4, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared that there are signs of El Niño conditions. While El Niño itself is a natural phenomenon, there is concern that it may be accompanied by record-high temperatures and extreme weather patterns in the context of human-induced climate change.
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Pick Up812. Investing in Nature Brings Equity and Economic Benefits
Sustainable development requires that economic growth and the conservation of the natural environment be achieved simultaneously, and that these conditions be maintained over the long term. However, economic growth and conservation have often been viewed as trade-offs. In contrast, a recent paper published in PNAS shows that degradation of the natural environment causes significant economic losses, especially in low-income countries, and that investments in conservation have the potential to generate significant economic benefits, especially for people in low-income countries.
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Pick Up811. Fertilizer Not Working? Toward Yield Stabilization in the Sudan Savanna of West Africa, the Globally Renowned Cowpea Production Area
Cowpea, a drought-tolerant crop, is widely grown in the Sudan savanna of inland West Africa, where rainfall is scarce, and is a valuable source of protein for local people. However, cowpea is mainly grown by farmers using traditional methods, resulting in low yields due to poor soil nutrition and erratic rainfall. Even with the application of fertilizers, the effectiveness remains inconsistent. A joint research project between JIRCAS and the Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) of Burkina Faso, the representative country of the Sudan savanna, has identified the factors that cause variation in fertilizer effectiveness. This knowledge will lead to the development of effective fertilizer application techniques and crop management practices.
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Pick Up810. Global Deforestation in 2022
On June 27, Global Forest Watch, operated by the World Resources Institute (WRI), reported that tropical primary forest loss in 2022 will total 4.1 million hectares, an area the size of Switzerland. Brazil is responsible for 43% of the world's primary forest loss, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana in Africa have also experienced record levels of primary forest destruction. In contrast, Indonesia and Malaysia reported reduced forest loss, perhaps due to industry regulation and corporate engagement.
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Pick Up809. TARF at the Forefront of Japan’s Tropical Agriculture Research
June 29 is the United Nations International Day of the Tropics. Global warming is causing increase in temperatures, typhoons and torrential rains, and rising sea levels in many parts of Japan, phenomena that are thought to be part of the tropicalization process. In agriculture, poor fruit coloring and high temperature damage to rice, tomatoes, and other crops have become common. The Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) is working daily to solve global food and environmental problems, including climate change, by taking advantage of the climatic and geographic conditions of subtropical humid Ishigaki Island.
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Pick Up808. Ecosystem Collapse in the Anthropocene May Be Accelerated by Multiple Environmental Drivers
The climate change debate suggests that the Earth is reaching a tipping point, a point of dramatic and irreversible change caused by anthropogenic economic activities during the Anthropocene epoch. A paper published on June 22 in Nature Sustainability warned of the possibility of an even earlier ecosystem collapse due to the correlation of multiple stresses, such as global warming caused by human economic activities, environmental impacts, and disruptive factors such as extreme events.