Category: Research Activity

From October 1st to December 17th, Placid Mpeketula from the University of Malawi was accepted as a short-term foreign researcher at the Tokyo University of Agriculture.
He visited Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture and Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, and acquired specialized knowledge and techniques in soil science, hydrology, agronomy, and sustainability science required for the integrated management of agricultural, water, and forest resources. They built a foundation for effectively promoting advanced research for the integrated management of diverse resources, with a focus on soil analysis.

Visited coffee farms on Miyakojima and Shimojishima

On September 23, 2023, Happy Mussa from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources arrived in Japan and enrolled in a Doctoral Course at the United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University in October as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship Students.
As the next generation of Malawian fisheries sociologist and economics researcher, he will work closely with the local community to conduct social science research in Lake Malawi coastal communities to realize community-based fisheries resource management, and it is expected that he will also become a bridge between Japan and Malawi in this field.

From August 12th to September 6th, 2023, Hiroyuki Matsuda visited Malawi.
Participated in a technical meeting and JCC in Zomba. Had discussions with Marlene Chikuni and McPhillip Mwithokona, and held a seminar for MAB members at the University of Malawi. Conducted site visit, literature research, and interviewed villagers in Chembe village.

From August 12th to September 9th, 2023, Tamano Hayashi visited Malawi.
Participated in a technical meeting and JCC in Zomba and reported on the progress of the forest resource management group. Measured the center of the DWA plot using RTK-GNSS, and held a meeting with the relevant 7VNRC to discuss the progress and future operations. Weighed the firewood bundles and charcoal bags, and measured the location of the well as a follow-up to the IHHS.

From August 9th to 24th, 2023, Tetsu Sato visited Malawi.
JCC and Technical Meetings were held, where research content was discussed and detailed reports were given to JCC members. A common understanding was built with new participants from Malawi regarding Sato-umi resource development, and progress was made in the development of new tour programs by the tour guide association.

From August 8th to 23rd, 2023, Hiromu Okazawa visited Malawi.
From August 8th to 21st, 2023, Hiroko Gono visited Malawi.
Participated in a technical meeting and JCC in Zomba, and discussed the future research content of the project with agricultural group members Daud Kassam (LUANAR) and Lameck Fiwa (LUANAR). Performed maintenance on the installed weather instruments and measurements using GNSS-RTK, visited farmland, and conducted price surveys in the market.

From June 6th to 25th, 2023, Tetsu Sato visited Malawi.
From June 10th to 24th, 2023, Kazuaki Takahashi visited Malawi.
Visit to the Japanese Embassy in Malawi. Held a meeting with Friday Njaya, Daud Kassam, and others regarding the international symposium scheduled for November, and were able to solidify our plans for their visit to Japan and short-term joint research. Also, held a meeting to discuss collaboration in community-based conservation activities. Held a meeting with Madothi BVC regarding the current situation and future management plans for Chirundu, and conducted underwater observations, test operations, and maintenance work at Chirundu. To develop a simple method for producing seedlings of useful tree species, we confirmed and measured the survival and death of seedlings in a germination and cultivation experiment plot set up within the Sustainable Cape Maclear plot in Chembe, and were able to confirm the growth status of the seedlings. We also established an environmental monitoring system to identify suitable environments.

From February 22nd to March 23rd, 2023, Tamano Hayashi visited Malawi.
From February 22nd to March 15th, 2023, Ke Zhang visited Malawi.
Held a meeting with project members to discuss GNSS positioning and drone image capture in Chembe village. We also discussed, prepared and conducted surveys regarding DWA, and held meetings to prepare a plant inventory and develop forest resource guidelines, as well as a meeting regarding the integrated household survey.

From January 24th to February 8th, 2023, Tetsu Sato visited Indonesia.
Accompanied by Motoko Shimagami, who stayed in Indonesia, Sato held seminars in Ulele and Bone, and had discussions with participants. Also, accompanied by Dorotea Rampisela, Sato held seminars in various locations, spoke with farmers who practice multi-variety cultivation, and visited advanced cacao seedling production sites, waste recycling, and poultry farming trial sites. Adjusted the schedule for the dispatch of third-country experts to Malawi, scheduled in 2023.

From January 10th to March 2nd, Wisdom Changadeya from the University of Malawi was accepted as a short-term foreign researcher at the Ryukoku University.
He learned how to use the laboratory to extract eDNA to assess fish stock status for the project, and was trained on how to quantify eDNA for sequencing on the ISEQ platform. He went back to the University of Malawi ready to train other members of the project on how to use the ISEQ platform.