A group of first-year high school students from Kumamoto Prefectural Uto Junior and Senior High School visited JIRCAS on December 12, 2019 as part of the Super Science High School training program on experience of the future (Kanto area training).

Dr. Keisuke Omori (International Relations Section) briefed the students on the current research activities of JIRCAS including collaborations in developing countries. Then Dr. Kensuke Kawamura (Social Sciences Division) gave a lecture with the theme of “rice cultivation in Lao as viewed from the sky” about research using drones to evaluate the growth and yield of rice. In an ongoing JIRCAS project in Laos on utilization of local resources in agricultural and mountain villages, drones are utilized to improve infrastructure information and improve the quality evaluation of rice in paddy fields. By installing a special camera in the drone, taking pictures, and analyzing the images, it is possible to visualize information that is difficult to identify with the human eye. The lecture was followed by a demonstration on how the drone was used in the study.

This is the third time for students from Kumamoto Prefectural Uto Senior High School to visit JIRCAS to learn not only about future research in science and technology but also about research addressing global food and environmental issues.