JIRCAS Report 2024

Visit of FFTC and other Taiwanese research institutes to JIRCAS

Officials from the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) for the Asian & Pacific Region, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, and the Taitung Agricultural Research and Extension Station visited JIRCAS.

Students from School of Agriculture, Tokai University Visit TARF

On Friday, September 6, 2024, 17 students and two faculty members from Tokai University School of Agriculture visited the Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) as part of their “Comprehensive Agricultural Practicum.”

Malawi Embassy Delegation Visits JIRCAS

On Friday August 2, 2024, a delegation from the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi in Japan, led by Deputy Ambassador Joseph Chikwemba, visited JIRCAS and discussed potential collaborations in agricultural research, focusing on technology development toward building new food systems.

Kick-off Meeting and Farmer Water Users Community Workshop Held in Pursat Province

On July 31, 2024, a kick-off meeting and Farmer Water Users Community (FWUC) workshop were held in Pursat Province, Cambodia, for the SATREPS project, which began in April this year, aiming to reduce methane emissions from paddy rice fields.

Dr. Victor Kommerell, BNI-Mission Director, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Visits JIRCAS

On June 19th, JIRCAS welcomed Dr. Victor Kommerell, BNI-Mission Director, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. He discussed with Mr. Koyama, President to deepen the strategic partnership between JIRCAS and CIMMYT.

He also gave a seminar on the CropSustaiN project funded by Novo Nordisk Foundation, which aims to scale-up BNI-enabled wheat globally.

Technology Catalog introduced by JIRCAS at the Workshop on Developing the Guidelines for the Reduction of Crop Burning in ASEAN

At the Workshop on Developing the Guidelines for the Reduction of Crop Burning in ASEAN held in Bali, Indonesia on May 13th and 14th, JIRCAS presented technologies that can contribute to crop burning reduction from among those listed in the technology catalog.

JIRCAS with ERIA presented a new joint pilot study on technology diffusion at the ASEAN Agricultural R&D Meeting

On April 25th, an open session was held for ASEAN stakeholders during the 18th ASEAN Technical Working Group on Agricultural Research and Development (ATWGARD) meeting in Singapore, where development partners provided inputs to ATWGARD representatives from ASEAN countries.

Call for Applications : Research Fellow Empowerment Initiative FY2024

The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) invites qualified postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers to participate in the Research Fellow Empowerment Initiative, which will be implemented under two research themes. This initiative aims to empower Japanese students and researchers through international experiences and collaborations with various partners at JIRCAS research sites abroad.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries holds the “JIRCAS Tour” for the first time!

On Friday, April 26, 2024, the “JIRCAS Tour” from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) was held for the first time. The tour was attended by 33 staff members of MAFF who came to observe the major research activities of JIRCAS. As part of the tour, they visited the experimental field where BNI-enabled wheat is growing.

Call for Applications: JIRCAS Fellowship Program FY2024

The JIRCAS Fellowship Program FY2024 is now open and qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for the five selected research themes. The program offers a one-year opportunity to conduct research in Japan or at JIRCAS research sites abroad under the supervision of JIRCAS researchers.

Research Contributing to Poverty Reduction, Nutrition Improvement, and Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture in Madagascar — JIRCAS Project Provisionally Selected for SATREPS Program

As a newly adopted research topic (biological resources field) in FY2020 of SATREPS (International Science and Technology Cooperation Program for Responding to Global Issues), which is jointly implemented by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Agricultural Research's proposed project was accepted with some conditions.

Philippine Sugar Regulatory Administration Officials Visit JIRCAS

On March 24–30, 2024, JIRCAS welcomed visitors from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines. Ms. Ma. Mitzi V. Mangwag, Board Member and Acting Administrator, together with Atty. Ignacio S. Santillana, Deputy Administrator, visited the Tropical Agricultural Research Front (TARF) in Ishigaki Island and JIRCAS Headquarters in Tsukuba. JIRCAS and SRA are collaborating on three projects: ‘Climate change measures in Monsoon Asia,' ‘Yama-Sato-Umi agroecosystem connectivity', and 'Tropical crop genetic resources.'

JIRCAS ONLINE Science and Technology Week (2024)

As part of activities to promote interest and understanding of science and technology, the research activities of JIRCAS will be introduced to the public in the form of mini-lecture videos during Science and Technology Week starting on Monday, April 15.

Forestry Division Researcher KAWAI Kiyosada Receives the 12th (2024) Young Scholar Award (Suzuki Award) from the Ecological Society of Japan

Dr. KAWAI Kiyosada of the Forestry Division was honored with the 12th (2024) Young Scholar Award of the Ecological Society of Japan (ESJ Suzuki Award) at the 71st ESJ Annual Meeting.
 

Senior Researcher SASAKI Kazuhiro and Colleagues Win Best Paper Award from the Crop Science Society of Japan

Dr. SASAKI Kazuhiro (Senior Researcher, Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division) and his co-authors received the Best Paper Award for their research article, titled "Effect of drought stress on flowering characteristics in rice (Oryza sativa L.): a study using genotypes contrasting in drought tolerance and flower opening time", at the 257th Meeting of the Crop Science Society of Japan (CSSJ).