Greetings from Director
The International Center for Research and Education in Agriculture (ICREA) was founded with the aim toeducate and train people capable of oﬀering practical solutions to issues related to the development ofagricultural sciences. Since its foundation, ICREA has been encouraging basic research and overseas ﬁeld
research by creating an international network of researchers. Focus has also been placed on research andeducation activities aimed at educating and training individuals from both inside and outside the country tosolve problems encountered at the actual sites of agricultural production. ICREA obtained its current name18 years after its foundation, i.e. in April 2018. In the meantime, several new research departments werecreated, namely "Tropical Bioresources" and "Genetic Information for Bioresources" under the Research andApplication Division, and "Practical Studies in Africa" and "Practical Studies in Asia" under the RuralDevelopment Division. The Research and Application Division has the ultimate goal to promote sustainablegrowth through the development and utilization of local resources and the preservation of the environmentthat is key to securing such resources. In order to promote mission-oriented international research activitiesin agriculture and forestry and to focus our eﬀorts on educational activities that are informed by ﬁndings
Prof. Hiroshi EHARA
from joint international research endeavors, the Research and Application Division has been actively
Director
Graduate School ofengaged in research eﬀorts to address climate change and rapidly changing social conditions, including the
Bioagricultural Sciences
search for and characteristic evaluation of agricultural and forest resources in the tropics, genetic analysis ofsome useful traits found in biological resources, and research into sustainable agricultural/forest productionand eﬀective utilization of resources. The Rural Development Division, on the other hand, works on the development of sustainable andgood agricultural/forest production practices in tropical regions of Asia and Africa as well as on the adaptation and dissemination of new
resources and technologies, and is focused on research that specializes in the social implementation of research ﬁndings. The recently
established International Coordination Oﬃce, tasked with building an international network of researchers and managing various projects,
is focused on promoting collaborations with various organizations within and outside the country, including the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Japan International Research Center
for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), as well as enhancing our communication capabilities to more eﬀectively reach our audience.
In recent years, an increasing number of people in emerging countries have been seeking variety in food. In line with this, and as anapproach to sustainable food production based on the principles of food security and environmental preservation, Field Science plays anincreasingly important role in establishing a new technology by integrating the basic ﬁndings that have accumulated in developed countries
and adapting it for use in emerging countries. We continue encouraging joint international research eﬀorts in the ﬁeld of international
agricultural development. We appreciate your kind understanding and support for our activities, and we invite all aspiring individuals andorganizations to join us in our endeavor.

Background
Many developing countries are still suﬀering from food shortages, poor agricultural production, poverty, environmental destruction, infectious
diseases aﬀecting domestic animals, and other agricultural problems, which are regarded today as serious global issues that need to beaddressed. To solve these issues, we need to develop appropriate agricultural techniques by undertaking socio-economic impact assessmentand ensuring eﬀective use of natural resources and harmony with the natural environment. In addition, it is equally important to produce
high-quality human resources. International cooperation is essential for this endeavor, and Japan is expected to take an active part in it.
This trend was especially strong in the 1990s, when the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (equivalent to today's Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) set up the Council for Understanding the Latest Forms of International EducationalCollaboration. In its report published in June 1996, the Council presented new policies relating to international educational collaboration,highlighting the importance of actively responding to the increasing demand for international cooperation in education, clarifying the importantroles played by universities and other related institutions in educational collaboration, and emphasizing the importance of not only promoting
collaboration among businesses/institutions but also encouraging educational institutions to take voluntary and organized action to eﬀectively
promote educational collaboration.
In April 1999, as part of the governmental eﬀorts to realize these policies, the ICREA (reorganized from the International Cooperation Centerfor Agricultural Education (ICCAE) in April of 2018) was established at Nagoya University as a center that takes an initiative in training
individuals to acquire the ability to ﬁnd practical solutions to the developmental issues in the ﬁeld of agriculture, under the supervision of theMinistry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture.
The ICREA has put together the expertise of agricultural universities and other related educational and research institutions in Japan andused integrated multidisciplinary approaches to contribute to the resolution of various agricultural issues in developing countries. Furthermore,
the ICREA has been promoting international research and education activities based on the belief that human development eﬀorts should beundertaken both inside and outside the country.

Graduate education
The ICREA is involved in the graduate education programs at the Department of Plant Production Sciences of the Graduate School of
Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University. We have instructors with extensive international experience who are committed to preparing
individuals for career paths in academia or business where an international perspective is needed. If you wish to study at the ICREA, youshould ﬁrst consult with a faculty member in charge of the laboratory in which you wish to study, and then take the entrance examination for
the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University. Individual consultations for graduate school admissions are available at anytime. If interested, please contact us using the email address provided on the last page of this brochure.

01 International Center for Research and Education in Agriculture（ICREA）, Nagoya University