【Editorial】 Blue LED and agriculture – A bright future for next-generation lighting technology (Oct. 9, 2014)

Posted on 2014-10-09 by The Japan Agricultural News

  This year’s Nobel Prize in physics will be presented to three Japan-born scientists who invented blue-light emitting diodes. Blue LEDs have also brought tremendous results to agriculture, including energy-saving and pest control effects and the ability to control growth, shape and nutrient composition of plants. Much more can be expected from future research on the technology. The three winners are Isamu Akasaki, professor emeritus of Meijo University, Shuji Nakamura, professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Hiroshi Amano, professor of Nagoya University. Though red and green diodes had been invented in the 1960s, creation of blue diodes was regarded as a difficult challenge to be overcome in … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Agriculture | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 Blue LED and agriculture – A bright future for next-generation lighting technology (Oct. 9, 2014)

【News】 Japanese agricultural co-op extends partnership with U.S. producer of non-GM corn (Oct. 7, 2014)

Posted on 2014-10-07 by The Japan Agricultural News

  The National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) has decided to extend its five-year contract with Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. based in the United States, which will expire in 2015, by five years to stabilize supplies of non-genetically modified feed corn. Under the contract, JA Zen-Noh has been offering demand forecasts to Hi-Bred International so that the company can develop non-GMO corn seeds annually and supply the seeds to farmers in the U.S. which export corn to JA Zen-Noh. JA Zen-Noh and Hi-Bred International are expected to sign the new partnership agreement on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the U.S. The agreement will enable JA Zen-Noh to secure stable … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooperatives, Food & Agriculture | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Japanese agricultural co-op extends partnership with U.S. producer of non-GM corn (Oct. 7, 2014)

【News】 Give our reliable mates another chance—NPO’s attempt to reintroduce horse plowing (Oct. 5, 2014)

Posted on 2014-10-05 by The Japan Agricultural News

Kotaro Yamada (Tsuru-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture) A non-profit organization (NPO), Tsuru Environment Forum, is trying to reintroduce the tradition of horse plowing in Tsuru-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture. In late September, the NPO held a seminar for local farmers to learn how to work with horses. During the seminar, one person leads a horse while another holds the plow, following the horse. Many of them had difficulties leading horses. They found that it requires skills to work with the horses in perfect harmony and plowing the field straight is not as easy as they thought. However, the reactions of the farmers were quite positive. Miwako Akiyama, 41, found that the horse plowing is … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Give our reliable mates another chance—NPO’s attempt to reintroduce horse plowing (Oct. 5, 2014)

【Focus】 Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement – how would it influence domestic industry? (Oct. 3, 2014)

Posted on 2014-10-03 by The Japan Agricultural News

  The government is expected to submit a bill to the current Diet session to approve the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Among the key agricultural items, rice will be exempted from tariff cuts, while tariffs on wheat, beef, some dairy products and sugar will be reviewed in the fifth year after the agreement takes effect. Are the measures under the agreement sufficient to minimize the negative impact on the domestic industry?  Careful discussions are necessary in the Diet to approve the agreement, especially because the Diet resolution which called on the EPA to exclude key farm products from tariff eliminations or set them aside for future renegotiations has become … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Agriculture, Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Focus】 Japan-Australia economic partnership agreement – how would it influence domestic industry? (Oct. 3, 2014)

【News】 Agricultural co-op　report focuses on conflicts between US and Europe over food safety rules (Sept. 30, 2014)

Posted on 2014-09-30 by The Japan Agricultural News

  Ongoing negotiations between the United States and the European Union on food safety rules under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership should be monitored closely, as the outcome of the talks could become the global standard in the future, the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) said in its newsletter published this month. In the September issue of the International Agriculture and Food Letter, JA-Zenchu reports on the TTIP negotiations, in which the U.S. and the EU are at odds over such issues as labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods, distribution of beef farmed with the use of growth hormones and geographical indications (GI). As the Doha round of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooperatives, Food & Agriculture, Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Agricultural co-op　report focuses on conflicts between US and Europe over food safety rules (Sept. 30, 2014)