The Tropical Agriculture Research Front (TARF) of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) held the 57th TARF Public Lecture, titled “Developing Sugarcane Production Resilient to Water Shortages: Future Agriculture Supported by Subsurface Irrigation.” The event took place on Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Audiovisual Room on the 2nd Floor of the Ishigaki City Health and Welfare Center, and was attended by 29 participants.

In recent years, the impacts of climate change have made it increasingly important for agriculture to address challenges such as high temperatures and drought. In this lecture, Dr. OKAMOTO Ken, Senior Researcher at TARF, presented cultivation techniques that improve sugarcane's tolerance to water shortages. Focusing on sugarcane, one of Okinawa’s most important crops, he explained the mechanism and research results of OPSIS, a subsurface irrigation system that efficiently supplies water from below ground, and introduced the concept of future agriculture aimed at achieving both water conservation and stable crop production.

During the Q&A session following the presentation, participants raised many practical questions and shared opinions related to sugarcane cultivation. Topics included the effects of introducing the new water management technology into farmland, such as its impact on root distribution, the recovery of infrastructure investment costs, and the operation and maintenance of the irrigation facilities. The lively discussion reflected the strong interest in water management for sugarcane cultivation. We greatly appreciate the valuable exchange of ideas and opinions.