The research activities of JIRCAS on environmental and resource management in Africa were introduced at the “Japan-Africa Business EXPO” on August 30, 2019. The exhibition booth, which featured exhibits and public talks on the outcome of researches and studies on African food value chain and nutrition, was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) as an official side event of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7).

The JIRCAS public talk focused on the African watershed management project in the dry savannah region of West and East Africa and the SATREPS project in Burkina Faso on promotion of fertilizer cultivation using indigenous rock phosphate. The development of technology that can be used by local beneficiaries and the efforts to collaborate with stakeholders on development, dissemination and policy were introduced. These studies are aimed at contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to “Life on Land” (Goal 15), “End Poverty (Goal 1), and “Zero Hunger” (Goal 2).

There were participants from African countries such as Ghana and Benin and it was a good opportunity to introduce Japan's contribution to African agriculture through research. After the lecture, a participant from Benin commented on the role of agriculture in the development of Africa, the support of Japan which was indispensable for improving African agriculture, and hoped that for implementation of research in Benin. Although the public talk lasted for about 30 minutes, the venue was almost full, and it was an opportunity for many participants to learn about the activities of JIRCAS.