In the morning of November 20, the Ceremony of the "2013 Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers" will be held.

The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), with its mission to improve agricultural technologies in developing regions, started its Third Medium-term Plan in April 2011 and set up a research program titled, "Technology development for income and livelihood improvement of the rural population in developing regions (Rural Livelihood Improvement Program)". The program promotes to improve income in rural areas, and the practical uses of local resources. It plans technological innovations for application to these areas. It is likewise important to improve agricultural productivity and increase value-addition to agricultural products in order to generate more income. On practical uses for local resources, the program is aiming for recycling-oriented societies based on sustainable productivity and diversity of both the environment and culture.

By rapid development of the economy in this region, demand for new agricultural technologies has been diversified. Japanese agriculture too has to find new ways to survive in the globalized circumstances. This symposium aims to seek for future direction of research activities in Asia by JIRCAS and other Japanese researchers through the exchange of opinions among experts from related organizations on changing food and agriculture in the region as well as on new technology needs to correspond to the changes. It also tries to identify effective ways to share research results in the region, and to link them with sustainable development of Japanese agriculture and related industries.

20 November, 2013 (Wednesday)

13:00-13:45 Registration

13:45-15:15 Opening Session

13:45-13:55  Opening Remarks: Masa Iwanaga (President, JIRCAS)

13:55-14:05  Welcome Statements: Hirotsugu Amamiya (Director General, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat, MAFF)

14:05-14:15  Welcome Statements: Akira Nagata (Senior Programme Coordinator, UNU)

14:15-14:55  Keynote Speech, Chair: Osamu Koyama (JIRCAS)

Future trend of global and regional food security and its impact to Japan

Hiroyuki Konuma (Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, FAO)

 

14:55-15:15  Slide Show: "20 years of JIRCAS"

15:15-15:40 Group Photo and Tea/Coffee Break (20min.)

15:40-17:00 Session 1: Changes in Food Demand and Corresponding Technologies

Chair: Masuo Ando (JIRCAS)

15:40-16:00  The situation of food consumption and marketing system and future direction of technology development in Lao PDR

Linkham Douangsavan (NAFRI, Lao PDR)

16:00-16:20  Chinese food consumption trends and the direction of food technology development

Yingheng Zhou (Nanjing Agricultural University, China)

16:20-16:40  Trend of food consumption, marketing and technological development in Japan

Seiichi Sakurai (Chiba University, Japan)

16:40-17:00  General Discussion

17:30-19:00 Welcome Reception

21 November, 2013 (Thursday)

09:30-10:50 Session 2: Japanese Potential for New Technology Demand in Asia

Chair: Ryoichi Matsunaga (JIRCAS)

09:30-09:50  Mechanization for the improvement of productivity of intensive agriculture in Asia

Joji Arihara (Kubota Corporation, Japan)

09:50-10:10  Use of controlled release fertilizer for sustainable crop production in Asia

Hitoshi Kanno (Tohoku University. Japan)

10:10-10:30  Novel food technologies to provide better quality and value-added foods for consumers in Asia

Akinori Noguchi (Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan)

10:30-10:50  General Discussion

10:50-11:05 Tea/Coffee Break (15min.)

11:05-12:25 Session 3: Sustainable Rural Income Sources

Chair: Masayoshi Saito (JIRCAS)

11:05-11:25  Development of co-culture technology of giant tiger prawn with unutilized benthos

Isao Tsutsui (JIRCAS)

11:25-11:45  Technology of producing teak timber for farmers in Thailand: toward sustainable management

Iwao Noda (JIRCAS)

11:45-12:05  Biomass utilization of waste oil palm

Othman Sulaiman (USM, Malaysia)

12:05-12:15  Sustainable Agriculture Production by Biomass Utilization Technology

Akihiko Kosugi (JIRCAS)

12:15-12:25  General Discussion

12:25-13:30 Lunch

13:30-14:50 Session 4: Food Technology Network in Asia

Chair: Kazuhiko Nakahara (JIRCAS)

13:30-13:50

Vegetable home, community and school gardens: a nutrition-sensitive food system intervention for changing rural and urban livelihoods in East and Southeast Asia

Robert J. Holmer (AVRDC)

13:50-14:10

Fostering food culture with Innovation

Warunee Varanyanond (Kasetsart University, Thailand)

14:10-14:30

Technology development for food safety

Masahiro Shoji (Morinaga Institute of Biological Sciences, Inc., Japan)

14:30-14:40

Regional Food Resource Network

Kazuhiko Nakahara (JIRCAS)

14:40-14:50

General Discussion

14:50-15:10 Tea/Coffee Break (20min.)

15:10-16:50 Panel Discussion:
Strengthening Japanese Agricultural Competitiveness through Collaboration with Asia

Chair: Kazumi Yamaoka (JIRCAS)

Special speech:
Experience and strategy of international agricultural research in the Netherlands

Martin C. Th. Scholten (Wageningen University, the Netherlands)

Panelists:

Yasuo Watanabe (Policy Research Institute, MAFF, Japan)

Tokio Imbe (NARO, Japan)

Akinori Noguchi (Ishikawa Prefectural University, Japan)

Masahiro Shoji (Morinaga Institute of Biological Sciences, Inc., Japan)

Masa Iwanaga (JIRCAS)

16:50-16:55 Closing Remarks: Masami Yasunaka, Vice President, JIRCAS