Climate variations over southern Africa pose serious threats to human life through shortages of food and water and prevalence of infectious diseases. The underlying factors lie in El Niño and La Niña phenomena in the tropical Pacific and the recently identified subtropical dipole phenomena in the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans. Here I will introduce bilateral research activities between Japan and South Africa, which aim to predict the climate phenomena several months ahead of time, as well as the associated variations in crop yield and malaria outbreak over South Africa.

The United Nations University has been conducting the ”Noto Satoumi Movement” since 2015 on the research and conservation of ”Noto's Satoyama Satoumi” in Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, which was recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in its list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). In order to promote the concept of Satoumi, the importance of its conservation and the livelihoods of people working on Satoumi, we have been making public outreach efforts on Satoumi creation such as conducting a series of public lectures, research studies, and conservation activities. In addition, we have been disseminating the idea of Satoumi to the world, and expanding the network of cooperation in promoting Satoumi creation.
Selected Papers No.23(p.18)

Negotiations have been continuing at the World Trade Organization regarding the prohibition of harmful fisheries subsidies that lead to the overexploitation of fisheries resources. The 11th Ministerial Conference was held in Buenos Aires in December 2017, but it failed to result in a Ministerial Declaration. While negotiations are expected to continue through to the next conference, scheduled to take place in 2019, it's clear that even if an agreement is reached, its contents would have only negligible effects on the conservation of fisheries resources.For more meaningful reform of fisheries subsidies, it would be better to consider fishery policies that focus on the fisheries of coastal communities.