Photo Exhibition & Coffee Hour Talk Sessions Organized by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and The World Bank Public Information Center in Tokyo (PIC Tokyo).
The world's population continues to grow and the global climate is changing. The food we eat is under threat, and developing countries are particularly affected. This is a global issue that cannot be solved by any one country acting alone. Enhancing science & technology in developing countries is one key to the solution.
Based on this understanding, the SATREPS* program is working to enhance capacity for science & technology and to promote development in developing countries, combining Japan's science & technology resources with development assistance (ODA).
The first SATREPS Photo Exhibition, held in October 2011, focused on three projects that are particularly concerned with climate change.
The Second SATREPS Photo Exhibition focuses on food security issues in three regions.
Africa: Fighting the scourge of witchweed in Sudan Asia: Restoring devastated food production in the harsh climate of Afghanistan Central America: Protecting stocks from overfishing and global climate change in Panama
Each of these countries has a SATREPS project focused on food security. Local researchers and researchers from Japan collaborate to address issues affecting sorghum (a traditional African cereal crop), wheat, and tuna.
Food security is of concern to everyone, not just to people in developing countries a long way from Japan. But how can we help? What can we do For the Earth, For the Next Generation? One way to start is to learn more about the situation in areas where Japanese and local researchers collaborate. Beautiful photographs depict these joint research projects, including local lifestyles, culture, and customs. The talk sessions are an opportunity to learn even more about specific projects.
* SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) is a Japanese government program that promotes international joint research through partnerships between researchers in Japan and researchers in developing countries. Research teams in 33 countries are working on a total of 60 SATREPS projects (as of February 1, 2012). The program is a collaboration between the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Photo Exhibition：For the Earth, For the Next Generation- Research partnerships address food security -
Date:
February 20 (Mon.) - March 2 (Fri.), 2012 (Closed weekends and public holidays) Open 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission free (Open 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Coffee Hour days: February 20, 23, 27, and March 1)
Sudan has large areas of land suitable for cultivation but for many years, farmers have been fighting against infestations of Striga, a parasitic weed. Striga (witchweed) attaches to the roots of sorghum and other cereal crops, and grows by taking nutrients and water from the host, drastically affecting harvests in dry regions. We introduce a project working to increase and secure food production in Sudan, with an eventual aim of eliminating Striga from the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. (Details of talk may change.)
<Speaker> Dr. SUGIMOTO Yukihiro, Kobe University Dr. SAMEJIMA Hiroaki, Kobe University
After over 20 years of fighting in Afghanistan, farmland, livelihoods, and social infrastructure are devastated. People need to rebuild their lives and local economies, including the production of wheat, a key food crop. We introduce a project that makes use of Japan's science & technology and experience of postwar reconstruction to contribute to this process. Researchers are working to discover local varieties of wheat with good drought and disease resistance, and then using them to produce new varieties. The project is also involved in training young researchers, enhancing local capacity to protect Afghanistan's wheat crops. (Details of talk may change.)
<Speaker> Dr. BAN Tomohiro, Yokohama City University
Tuna, especially yellowfin and bluefin tuna, are an attractive food resource for people in many countries, including Japan and Panama, but stocks are threatened by overfishing and global climate change. We introduce a project using technology from Japan, which developed the world's first completely farm-raised bluefin tuna. Researchers are aiming to ensure sustainability by enhancing the technology for managing yellowfin and bluefin tuna resources and to establish the basics of aquaculture for yellowfin tuna, thereby contributing to food security worldwide. (Details of talk may change.)
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