- Contributes to agricultural productivity improvement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in member economies -
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) was approved as a Center of Excellence (COE) of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) on March 10th (Friday), 2023.
- A COE is defined as an institution with world-class capabilities, leadership, exemplary performance in a specific focus area which contributes to productivity.
- In the future, NARO will deploy and transfer the water management technology for paddy fields and other technologies it has developed to APO member economies and will contribute to both productivity improvement and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the agricultural sector of APO member economies.
Overview
NARO (President: Dr. KYUMA Kazuo) was approved as a Center of Excellence (hereinafter referred as "COE") of the APO (Secretary-General: Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata) on March 10th, 2023 (Friday).
APO was established in the FY 1961 as a regional international organization with the aim of improving productivity through mutual cooperation in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the economies and societies of Asia-Pacific countries. It comprises 21 member economies* and conducts activities such as supporting effort of member economies to improve productivity, conducting research on necessary issues and development of organizations and human resources that promote the movement.
APO recognizes institutions with world-class competence and leadership, exemplary performance, and best practices that contribute to productivity in specific areas of focus as COE. NARO was the first in Japan to be approved as a COE, and the first to be approved as a COE outside the headquarters (productivity headquarters) in each country of APO member economies. In the future, NARO will implement the "COE Program" to deploy and transfer the water management technology for paddy fields and other technologies developed by NARO to APO member economies and will contribute to both improving productivity and reducing GHG emissions in the rice-based agricultural sector of APO member economies.
*APO member economies:Bangladesh, Cambodia, Republic of China, Fiji, Hongkong, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam (as per March 2023)
Reference: Overview of NARO COE approval
1. Background and Objectives
In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Japanese government have declared that it will aim to achieve net zero GHG emissions by FY 2050 and 46% reduction in GHG emissions by FY 2030 (compared to the levels of the FY 2013), or even as high as 50%. The Paris Agreement promises to reduce GHG emissions not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. In addition, the agricultural sector accounts for 23% (average for FY 2007-2016) of the world's GHG emissions. As many of the APO member economies are agricultural countries, there is a strong interest not only in improving the productivity of the agricultural sector, which mainly consists of rice, but also in reducing GHG emissions in the agricultural sector.
NARO has developed water management technology for paddy fields and methods for utilizing 1km mesh agricultural weather data as technologies that contribute to both productivity improvement and reduction of GHG emissions. NARO will deploy and transfer these technologies to APO member economies through the COE program and will contribute to both productivity improvement and reduction of GHG emissions in the agricultural sector, mainly rice, in the Asian region.
This COE program will be implemented in the APO member economies that wish to deploy/transfer the technologies developed by NARO.
2. Project Name
Climate-smart Agriculture
3. Project period
From March 2023 to 2028 (However, it may be extended depending on the request of the partner country.)
4. Specific activities (planned)
- Holding seminars and International conferences
- Dispatch of lecturers to countries participating in the COE program
by means of the above ways the following technical information will be provided
- Technology to control methane emissions from rice cultivation
- Developing a credit calculation methodology to evaluate the efforts to reduce the GHG emissions in the agricultural sector
- Developing a credit calculation methodology to evaluate the efforts to absorb the GHG emissions in the agricultural sector
- A web-based tool installation and operation method that can immediately judge the reduction efforts for GHG emissions in the agricultural sector
- Guidance to install and operate a web-based tool for 1km mesh agricultural forecast information as a basis for adaptation to global warming
Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Press Release:
https://www.apo-tokyo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/APO-Launches-New-Center-of-Excellence-on-Climate-smart-Agriculture.pdf
For Inquiries
Contact: http://www.naro.go.jp/english/inquiry/index.html
