RIKEN‘s 2nd Cassava Workshop was held on January 31, 2024 on the topic of Cassava Research and Development for a Carbon-neutral, Recycling-oriented Society.

Meros’ Managing Director Chisa Ogura presented on ‘Global Trends in Commercialization of Carbon Farming and Soil Carbon Sequestration’.

Cassava is rarely produced in Japan, but the Japanese food industry is a major user of cassava. Today’s trendy tapioca drinks are a small part of this, and most is imported as cassava starch or chemical starch, which is used in various processed foods, including frozen udon and noodles, as well as in various industrial applications as an adhesive. Many Japanese researchers are involved in cassava research, ranging from genetics to soil science.

Compared to maize, soy and wheat, cassava is mainly grown in Asia and Africa, where smallholders are the main producers, so not only is decarbonization and regenerative agriculture still lagging, but overall, yield is stagnant. The importance of increasing productivity to meet growing demand for feed, biofuels, and food without increasing the burden on small farmers is extremely high.

We hope that the Japanese industry and academia can make a further contributions to increasing productivity and bringing opportunities for greater carbon sequestration through improved farming methods in the global cassava industry!