1. Event name
NARO 4th International Symposium on Food and Health
Food and Agriculture Innovations for Sustaining the Future: Research Development toward Achieving the SDGs
2. Date and Time
March 24(Monday), 2025 11:00～17:45 (JST)
3. Venue
Hybrid event (Distribution venue: Akasaka Intercity Conference)
4. Organizer and supporters
(Organizer)NARO
(Supported by)Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Science and Technology Department, Embassy of France in Japan,
Delegation of the European Union to Japan, Agriculture Counsellor Office, Embassy of Malaysia, Tokyo, Royal Thai Embassy, Tokyo, The Engineering Academy of Japan
5. Participants (online)
Pre-registered applicants: 593 people from 17 countries/regions.
Participants on the day: 446 people
Archived distribution (from April 15 to May 20): 1009 unique viewers, 1264 views
※ The unique numbers for each channel are distinguished by IP address.
※ Number of viewers and views are the total values of Part1 to 4 videos.
6. Symposium Overview
Opening Remarks
Dr. Kyuma, President of NARO, delivered a welcome address on behalf of the organizer and mentioned that Europe, the United States, and Japan are each working to build "sustainable food systems." He stated that NARO is promoting innovation that contributes to the achievement of SDGs, such as sustainable food systems, while strengthening domestic and international partnerships to realize Society 5.0 for agriculture and food.
Dr. Heimovaara, President of the Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands, stated that she is convinced the development of smarter and more sustainable agricultural and food systems, which is being promoted in partnership with NARO and WUR, will contribute to the world.
Mr. Mauguin, President & CEO, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), stated that he is pleased with the collaborative efforts of NARO and INRAE researchers on various innovative projects through constructive dialogue.
Mr. Sakaida, Director-General for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat, MAFF, mentioned that the necessity of accelerating research and development, including actively adopting new technologies and maximizing the use of biological functions, and emphasized the importance of deepening discussions from a global perspective.
Keynote Lecture
Professor Motoko Kotani, Executive Vice President at Tohoku University and a member of the United Nations (UN) 10-Member Group, gave a keynote lecture in which she introduced the UN's efforts to utilize science, technology, and innovation (STI) to achieve the SDGs. She also presented Japan's efforts to promote Society 5.0 and the status of R&D initiatives to realize it, as well as NARO's activities.
Session I: SDG Goal 13 (Climate Action)
Session Leader: Dr. Yasuhito Shirato, Manager, Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO
In this session, the impact assessment and adaptation measures for grain production, soil carbon sequestration through biochar, and international efforts were introduced as approaches to addressing climate change, and the direction for promoting them was discussed.
Speakers: Dr. Toshichika Iizumi, Principal Scientist, Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO/ Mr. Md Zainuri Juri, Principal Program Officer, Asian Productivity Organization, APO/ Dr. Shori Yamamoto, Director, Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO
Session II: SDG Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
Session Leader: Dr. Yasuo Ohto, Director, Institute for Plant Protection, NARO
In this session, efforts in R&D and technology dissemination based on "MIDORI Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems" of Japan and "Farm to Fork Strategy" of Europe were introduced for environmentally friendly agricultural production. Furthermore, key factors for dissemination of these technologies to agricultural producers were discussed.
Speakers: Dr. Keiichiro Matsukura, Principal Scientist, Institute for Plant Protection, NARO/ Dr. Toshihiko Karasawa, Group Leader, Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO/ Mr. Gijs Berends, Head of the Science, Innovation, Digital and Other EU Policies Section, Delegation of the European Union to Japan/ Dr. Nicolas Munier-Jolain, Coordinator of the IPMWORKS project, INRAE
Session III: "SDG Goal 2 (Zero Hunger)"
Session Leader: Dr. Tetsuo Maoka, Executive Director, NARO
In this session, the following initiatives aimed at maintaining and enhancing food productivity were introduced; international measures against pests and diseases, the development of high-yielding soybeans to ensure a stable protein supply, and the development of precision fermentation systems. In addition, discussions were held on strategies for the early integration of these technologies into society and on strengthening collaboration with industry to facilitate their adoption.
Speakers: Dr. Takeshi Kashiwa, Senior Researcher, JIRCAS/ Dr. Sachiyo Sanada, Group Leader, Institute for Plant Protection, NARO/ Dr. Takashi Yanagisawa, Manager, Institute of Crop Science, NARO/ Dr. Mark Sturme, senior scientist, WUR
Closing Remarks
Dr. Suzuki, Vice-President of NARO, delivered the closing remarks stating that the goals and initiatives introduced in this symposium are interconnected across sessions, and expressed hope that ongoing discussions will lead to further research and collaboration. She emphasized that NARO would continue to promote research toward a resilient and sustainable food production system for the future and contribute to national-level collaboration.
