Japan International Cooperation Agency
Share
  • 日本語
  • English
  • Français
  • Espanol
  • Home
  • About JICA
  • News & Features
  • Countries & Regions
  • Our Work
  • Publications
  • Investor Relations
  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Press Releases
  • FY2019
  • Signing of Record of Discussions with Sudan for a Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS): Support for the research and extension of drought- and heat-tolerant wheat cultivars that can be sustainably produced

Press Releases

April 1, 2019

Signing of Record of Discussions with Sudan for a Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS): Support for the research and extension of drought- and heat-tolerant wheat cultivars that can be sustainably produced

On March 31, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions with the Government of the Republic of the Sudan in Khartoum for the Project for Development of Climate Change Resilient Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Wheat Production in Dry and Heat Prone Agro-ecologies of Sudan and Sub-Saharan Africa, under the program of Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) [1].

Wheat is one of the staple foods of Sudan, and between the 1970s and the 2010s, wheat consumption has increased 10 times due to urbanization and a rising population. However, wheat production has only doubled, while the volume of wheat imports has increased tenfold. The wheat self-sufficiency rate has thus dropped from 50 to 16 percent, and 400 million dollars of foreign currency is consumed annually for wheat imports.

The Government of Sudan has therefore established wheat as a vital strategic crop with the aims of increasing the yield and production volume of wheat crops. While increasing the yield, the Government of Sudan desires to expand the amount of farmland and cultivate wheat in environments with high temperatures, droughts and other extremely stressful conditions.

Given these circumstances, the project will use stress-resistant wheat, developed by Tottori University in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Corporation of Sudan, as test material to develop and spread wheat that is resistant to heat and dry conditions.

1: SATREPS is a joint research program that links Japan with universities and research agencies in developing countries to develop and apply new technology and acquire new scientific knowledge. These efforts are aimed to address global issues, including those related to the environment, energy, biological resources, disaster risk reduction and infectious diseases, and support independence and sustainable development in developing countries. SATREPS aims to advance solutions to challenges while improving the research level at universities and research agencies in developing countries and strengthening the overall capacity to work on such issues.

Details for the project are provided below.

Basic project information
Country: Republic of the Sudan
Project title: The Project for Development of Climate Change Resilient Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Wheat Production in Dry and Heat Prone Agro-ecologies of Sudan and Sub-Saharan Africa, Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS)
Planned implementation period: April 2019 to March 2024 (total: 60 months)
Executing agency: Wheat Research Program, Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC)
Affiliated agencies: Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Sudan Meteorological Authority
Target regions: Dongola, Hudeiba of Northern State, New Halfa of Kassala State, and Wad Medani of Gezira State
Japanese cooperation agencies: Tottori University, Utsunomiya University
Specific project details:
(1)Develop heat, water deficit tolerant and nutrient-use efficient wheat lines using molecular breeding technologies
(2)Study on nutritional value and end use quality of wheat under the heat-stressed environments of Sudan
(3)Study on the mechanisms behind heat and water-deficit stress tolerance, and better utilization of nutrients
(4)Development of expected wheat production scenarios under future climate change
(5)Development of human resources and facilities capable of breeding new cultivars and extending them to farmers

PAGE TOP

Copyright © Japan International Cooperation Agency