The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) announced on March 21 an agenda of the Group of Seven (G7) Agricultural Ministers’ Meeting to be held at Niigata-shi, Niigata prefecture on April 23-24.
The agenda of the G7 Agricultural Minsters’ Meeting covers key subjects such as technical development for raising agricultural productivity to achieve global food security, promotion of active participation of young males and females, and acquirement of human resources in rural communities. The Ministers plan to adopt a “Niigata Declaration” as fruitful results of their talks.
The G7 Agricultural Ministerial Meeting will be held to coincide with the Ise-Shima Summit. This is the second time in the framework of summit since the Agricultural Ministers’ meeting was first organized at the G8 Summit held in L’Aquila, Italy in 2009 when the international society was confronting with unprecedented price hikes of food products.
At the Niigata Ministerial Meeting, food security will be continuously a basic theme. Agricultural ministers of G7 countries are expected to exchange their views especially on how to cope with their common challenges including farmers’ aging, declining vitality in rural communities, and global warming.