VaryAla Project

On February 26, 2026, the launch event for the SATREPS‑VaryAla and JICA FyVary2 projects was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where representatives from relevant organizations delivered remarks and introduced the project overviews, and expectation for the future development of the projects were shared. 

Associate Professor Kei Hiruma of the University of Tokyo, a member of SATREPS-VaryAla Project Output 2, received the 22nd JSPS Prize and attended the award ceremony.

A book summarizing the initiatives and achievements of the previous FyVary project has been published.

Dr. Takanori Okamoto, a researcher participating in Output 1, was featured in the "Alumni Success Stories" section of the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System Environmental Report 2025.

Dr. Tsujimoto, the Principal Investigator and Project Leader, and Professor Kitajima (Kyoto University), who leads Task 4, spoke at the “KUGSA–UF–JIRCAS Joint Symposium: Food Systems and the Global South.”

Dr. Tomoki Oda, a Senior Researcher at  FFPRI and a member of SATREPS VaryAla Project Output 4, traveled to Madagascar for field investigations and meetings with collaborating research institutions.

Dr. Yasuhiro Tsujimoto, Project Leader of JIRCAS and the SATREPS VaryAla Project, traveled to Madagascar to conduct a preparatory survey for the launch of the project.

Dr. Aung Zaw Oo, a Senior Researcher at JIRCAS and a member of SATREPS VaryAla Project Output 1, traveled to Madagascar to select suitable sites for the upcoming field experiments.

Dr. Yuniar Devi Utami, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tokyo and a member of SATREPS ValyAla Project Output 2, traveled to Madagascar to conduct inoculation trials using selected filamentous fungi.

Dr. Papa Saliou SARR, a Senior Researcher at JIRCAS and a member of SATREPS VaryAla Project Output 2, traveled to Madagascar to conduct inoculation experiments using identified nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Prof. Yuko Nakano of the University of Tsukuba, a member of Output 3, traveled to Madagascar for an intervention experiment and survey preparation.

Prof. Kaoru Kitajima of Kyoto University, a member of Output 4, traveled to Madagascar for preliminary field surveys and meetings with collaborating research institutions.