From September 5 to 7, The Moonshot R&D Program for agriculture, forestry and fisheries “Building a platform for sustainable farming through environmental control based on a soil microbe atlas” (Project Manager: Haruko Takeyama, Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University) held “The International Symposium on One Health by Sustainable Bio-ecosystem – Understanding and Utilizing Plant-Microbe Interactions in Agricultural Soils –“ with the aim of disseminating research results and promoting social implementation and international collaboration.
On the first day, September 5, a keynote lecture was given by Dr. Karsten Temme, one of the founders of Pivot Bio. This was followed by two sessions. The first was a presentation session by young researchers of the project (8 speakers, 4 of whom were graduate students), and the second was a session by startup executives in the field of food and agriculture (5 speakers). There was an active exchange of opinions with the audience, which encouraged deeper understanding and new ideas.
On September 6, the main day of the event, Dr. Aiji Tanaka, Waseda University President, Mr. Jean-Eric Paquet, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Japan, and Mr. Takao Shinobu, Research Councilor, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, each gave speeches, raising interest and deepening understanding of “One Health” the health of the people, environment, and ecosystems around the world. They also spoke about the importance of scientifically elucidating the definition of healthy agricultural soil and their expectations for international collaboration based on scientific understanding. Mr. Diego Canga Fano, who leads the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, and Dr. Kazuhiro Chiba, President, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Program Director of The Moonshot R&D Program for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, spoke about the results of their efforts and their aspirations for the future. Next, Professor Takeyama introduced the project’s results up to this point and its vision for future social implementation and international collaboration. In the afternoon of the second day, Technology & Business sessions were held by invited speakers from industry, academia and finance in Japan, US, Europe and Australia.
On the third day, a closed meeting was held to exchange opinions about future international collaboration. Throughout the three-day event, participants were able to disseminate research results, deepen mutual understanding, and strengthen networks for future research and development, social implementation, and international collaboration.
Day 1: Scenes from the exchange of opinions during the Young Researchers Session (left) and the Startup Session (right)
Day 2: Introductory address by Ambassador Paquet
Day 2: Group photo of speakers and chairpersons
