Every Friday night, the Tsukuba Science Tour Office hosts the "Friday Night Science Café" at "co-en," an event space located in front of Tsukuba Station. This collaborative effort involves various research and educational institutions in Tsukuba City.

On February 2, 2024, Project Leader FUJITA Yasunari and Senior Researcher NAGATOSHI Yukari from JIRCAS engaged in a cross-talk session at the Friday Night Science Café with Dr. YAMADA Koji and Dr. IZUMA Dylan Shun from the Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate of JAXA, discussing the future of space and food research within the theme What Will Humans Eat in the Future? -– From Research in Food and Humans in Space.

With the challenges of climate change and population growth, the global food system faces significant obstacles. Drs. Fujita and Nagatoshi are actively involved in a research project aimed at enhancing crop resilience to create a food system that can adapt to adverse environments.

During the event, they shared insights and results from the JIRCAS research project on Development of resilient crops and production technologies with a specific focus on quinoa and soybean. The discussion was further expanded during the cross-talk session, which explored the intersection of food research and manned spaceflight development, and included Drs. Yamada and Izuma, who are working on space cargo transportation technologies and plant factories. Sixty-four participants gathered at the venue, enjoying quinoa cookies and tea while actively participating in the scientific discourse.