Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【Editorial】 Look again at food crisis on World Soil Day (Dec. 5, 2014)

  2015 is the year declared the International Year of Soils by the United Nations. The world is currently facing various issues including sustainable agricultural production, food security, biodiversity protection and poverty alleviation. The International Year of Soils aims to be a platform for raising awareness of the importance of soils in tackling such issues, taking into account that soils are being degraded. Dec. 5 is World Soil Day to kick off the campaign. Let us look again at the key role of soils as the basis of life. In December 2013, in response to a proposal by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations General Assembly declared Dec. … Continue reading

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【News】 African countries called for urgent solution for the sharp decline of international cotton prices (Dec. 5, 2014)

  Satoko Adachi-Geneva In the Doha Round (multilateral trade negotiations) of The World Trade Organization (WTO), four cotton-producing countries in West Africa, which have called for solutions for the problem of cotton subsidies, insisted Friday, Nov. 28, on the need for early settlement of the round because the most recent decline of the international cotton prices has severely affected the farmers in those countries. The problem of cotton subsidies is one of the pending issues among the least developed countries. The four countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, claimed that subsidies for cotton farmers in the United States and other countries led to overproduction and international price drop of … Continue reading

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【News】 Agriculture, Commerce and Industry Hook up to Promote Local Agriculture Produce (Nov. 30, 2014)

Kotaro Yamada – Vegetable Treasure Ship (Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture)  – The Youth Group of the Mishima Kannami Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Mishima Kannami) and the Young Entrepreneurs Group (YEG) of the Commerce and Industry of Mishima (CCI Mishima) have joined hands to promote local agricultural produce. They dedicate a wooden boat packed with locally-grown vegetables to the Mishima Taisha Shrine in Mishima-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture, on November 23, the day of Niinamesai harvest festival, successfully making it a new attraction of the festival. Their presentation of the 4-meter-long treasure ship with local vegetables on the stage is already one of the highlights of the festival. The wooden boat was made jointly by … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Reduction in rice production target should be coupled with increase in rice for other uses (Nov. 29, 2014)

  The agriculture ministry set the 2015 national production target for rice for staple food at 7.51 million tons, down 140,000 tons from this year’s target. In addition to the national target, the ministry also announced a reference mark for voluntary acreage reduction efforts for the first time. The mark, regarded as a non-binding target for rice producing regions and a measure to encourage efforts to match supply with demand, is set at 7.39 million tons. In order to increase the effectiveness of the measures, it is necessary to create an environment for farmers to shift from rice for staple food to that for feed and other uses. The ministry … Continue reading

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【Series】 Japanese food worth sharing with world – Abura-fu Donburi from Tome-shi, Miyagi Prefecture (Nov. 21, 2014)

  Bowl of rice topped with Abura-fu cooked in mouth-watering sweet-salty soup broth. Umami-rich Donburi to delight everyone’s palate Abura-fu Donburi is a bowl of rice topped with fried wheat gluten (Abura-fu), onions and eggs cooked together in sweet-salty seasoned soup broth. Now it is well-known as a gourmet dish from Tome-shi, Miyagi Prefecture. The soft creamy egg, sweet-savory onions and juicy wheat gluten match perfectly with white rice and the deep flavor of the broth stimulates your appetite. Abura-fu is made by deep-frying wheat gluten bars in vegetable oil. It’s a traditional local food of Tome-shi and was one of the ingredients for the vegetarian plate that was served … Continue reading

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