The 5th G20 Meeting of Chief Agricultural Scientists (G20 MACS) was held in Xi’an, China on May 30-31, 2016 hosted by China as G20 President. The 96 participants included delegates from G20 member countries and G20 guests, international institutions of agricultural research, international organizations and international cooperation initiatives.

Posters introducing JIRCAS research activities were presented at the special event of the G7 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting held at the Tsukuba International Conference Center on May 15-17, 2016. The exhibition was opened to the participants from the G7 Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting and the commemorative symposium on the May 15-17, and to the general public on the May 18-21, 2016.

Dr. Yasunari Fujita and Dr. Kyonoshin Maruyama, senior researchers in the Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, were named to the global “Highly Cited Researchers 2015” list of Thomson Reuters in the “Plant and Animal Science” category.

The Thomson Reuters (Headquarters: New York, USA; Japan Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo) released  the updated ranking of research institutions in Japan based on the number of highly cited papers on April 16, 2015.

Minister Roland Ravatomanga of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAEP) of Madagascar and Ms. Rosette Lalatiana Rasoamanarivo, Interim Ambassador of the Madagascar Embassy in Japan, visited JIRCAS on March 9, 2016.

A certificate of appreciation and a commemorative gift from the Lao PDR Forest Science Research Center (FSRC) Director, Dr. Vongvilay Vongkhamsao were presented to Dr. Kenichiro Kimura, Senior Researcher of the Rural Development Division, at the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) meeting room on March 4, 2016.

Ambassador Ruth Kahanoff of the Israel Embassy in Tokyo visited JIRCAS on February 16, 2016 for discussions and exchange of information on the research activities of the JIRCAS and agricultural research in Israel.

Their Majesties, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, undertook a state visit to the Philippines from January 26-30, 2016. As part of the state visit, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) hosted the Imperial Couple for an overview of the institute’s global rice research initiatives at the IRRI Headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna on January 29, 2016.

JIRCAS carried out a joint research project with the Thai Royal Forest Department (RFD), and the results were summarized in JIRCAS’s “Research Highlights 2012” report titled “Soil suitability map for teak plantation in the Northeast of Thailand.” One of the outputs of this JIRCAS-RFD project was the publication of a map for Udon Thani and Nong Bua Lam Phu Provinces (Figure 1a) in Northeast Thailand, the project’s study area.

The Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) is a regional association of agricultural research institutes whose mission is “to promote the development of national agricultural research systems (NARS) in the Asia-Pacific region through inter-regional and inter-institutional cooperation.” JIRCAS is one of APAARI’s founding members and has been an active participant in meetings and activities since its establishment in 1990.

JIRCAS has been working with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the collaborative project, titled “Evaluation and Utilization of Diverse Genetic Materials in Tropical Field Crops (EDITS),” focusing on yam and cowpea, which are important regional crops in Africa. This project is aimed at advancing crop breeding activities.

Dr. Masa Iwanaga, President of JIRCAS, opened the symposium. He mentioned several new keywords in international development such as ‘nutrition security,’ ‘establishment of food value chains,’ ‘resilience,’ and ‘inclusive development,’ all of which focus on qualitative development rather than quantitative expansion of the economy as represented by GDP growth rates. He also spoke of the major objectives of the symposium, zeroing in on ‘quality,’ a common aspect of these emerging keywords.

JIRCAS, in cooperation with the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC) Secretariat, presented the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers for the ninth consecutive year. The award recognizes and honors young foreign researchers (under 40 years of age) who are highly recommended by their institutes, and whose outstanding achievements promote research and development of agricultural, forestry, fishery and other related industries in developing regions.

The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Japan, Mr. Godwin Nsude Agbo visited JIRCAS on July 1, 2015 for exchange of information on agricultural research activities and discussions on future research targets in Nigeria.

Suppressing soil nitrification and increasing NUE is critical to reversing the N-fertilizer overuse and minimizing its environmental impact. Global nitrogen (N) fertilizer consumption has increased >10-fold since 1960s, but food grain production has only tripled during this period, resulting in a decrease in nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE). Of the 150 million tons of N-fertilizer currently applied to agricultural systems globally, up to 70% is not recovered by the crop and often results in negative environmental impact through pathways such as nitrate-leaching and nitrous oxide emissions¹. Nitrate is an important groundwater pollutant and nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a powerful greenhouse gas. Annual economic losses from lost N-fertilizer is estimated at 90 US$ billion. If this trend continues, annual N-fertilizer application will double by 2050 and global N₂O emissions from agriculture will reach 19 million tons of N y^-1 by then¹.