On March 10, 2026, Prof. Andrea Rocchi, President of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), and Mr. Sergio Marchi, Director General of the Institute of Services for the Agricultural and Food Market (ISMEA), visited JIRCAS and exchanged views with President KOYAMA Osamu and other executives.

Following an overview of JIRCAS, the ISMEA representatives introduced Italy’s agricultural risk management systems positioned under the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) strategy. These include insurance schemes, mutual aid funds, and the nationwide mutual fund AgriCAT, which serves as a central mechanism. Examples of drought and flood damage assessments using satellite data and machine learning were also presented. From CREA, the delegation explained the current state of Italy’s agriculture and food industry, its research framework, and initiatives to enhance sustainability through precision farming and digital technologies.

From JIRCAS, Dr. HAYASHI Keiichi, Environment Program Director, introduced the progress and international development of research on improving nitrogen cycles and sustainable agricultural production through Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) technology. The delegation also visited the land-based shrimp aquaculture facility, where Dr. Marcy Wilder, Project Leader in the Fisheries Division, described research activities aimed at social implementation.

In the exchange of opinions, the CREA representatives commended JIRCAS as an excellent model for promoting international joint research and translating scientific outcomes into practical applications, expressing particular interest in BNI technology. It was agreed that BNI could become one of the concrete areas of collaboration under future partnership frameworks. Moreover, participants shared the view that Japan could learn valuable lessons from ISMEA’s crop disaster compensation and agricultural risk management schemes to further enhance its own systems.

Building on this visit, JIRCAS plans to deepen collaboration with Italy by pursuing joint research and concrete cooperation in the BNI field with CREA, as well as strengthening research and outreach based on ISMEA’s expertise.