JIRCAS, in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in the Philippines, conducted a 10-year research project on Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) from 2011, to promote sustainable and equitable production of marine products in the Asian monsoon region. We have now published the proceedings of the workshop held in August 2019.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) has issued the "Cozzarelli Prize” certificate  for the best paper of 2021, which has now been awarded to the recipients from JIRCAS.

Dr. SAITO Kazuki, Principal Scientist at Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and visiting researcher at JICAS, was selected as the winner of the 21st Century Hope Prize of the 7th Niigata International Food Award.

The Science Council of Japan is organizing a public symposium with the theme "Problems and Challenges of Sustainable Development of Oil Palm Plantations in Southeast Asia" to be held online on September 29 (Thu), 2022. Dr. KONDO Toshiaki, Senior Researcher of the Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division will give a presentation in the symposium.

Dr. NAKAGAWA Andressa, Researcher in the Crop, Livestock and Environment Division, received the Best Presentation Award (Poster) at the 253rd Annual Meeting of the Crop Science Society of Japan, held online on March 27-28, 2022.

The farm management planning support programs, Builder of Farming Model — BFMgh and BFMbf, have been developed and released to efficiently support decision making, including technology selection, by smallholder farmers in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

JIRCAS has released a "Technical Manual for Efficient Use of Water Resources in Irrigation Schemes", which describes several methods that contribute to improving water use efficiency in Africa, particularly in response to water resource constraints and facility degradation that are expected to become more serious in the future.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been conducting training programs for extension officials from Asian and African countries to improve rice cultivation techniques. As a part of this training program, 8 extension officials from 7 countries including Ethiopia and the Philippines, and 3 JICA staff, visited JIRCAS on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

In Africa, most drainage channels in paddy fields constructed by farmers are earth canals, which are easily eroded by strong rains and running water, and result in diminishment of canal functions. We have published a manual that introduces inexpensive reinforcement measures for irrigation canals (reinforcement using cover-plants, wooden fence, and soil bricks) that can be implemented by farmers.

The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) is now accepting applications for fixed-term employment of young researchers.