The Aim of the Department of
Agricultural and Environmental Biology

The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology conducts research into sectors that are closely intertwined with our lifestyles, with the aim of making those lifestyles healthier and more satisfying. Chief among these research sectors are food, clothing, and shelter, wherein the department studies grains such as rice and wheat, vegetables and fruits, the silkworms that make the raw threads that are made into silk fabrics, the microorganisms and insects which affect plant production, and the flowers and shrubbery that are essential to the circumstances in which we live. We take seriously our place in research aimed at resolving issues involved in agriculture, especially those issues relating to the food supply. To that end, we our research goes on at all levels, from the molecular to that of individual organisms and whole populations alike.
The total world population exceeds six billion people, and it is said that this figure will top nine billion by the midpoint of the current century. At present, some eight hundred million people suffer from malnutrition. At the same time, Japan has the lowest level of food self-sufficiency among all industrially advanced nations, producing only 40% of its own food supply. Thus, Japan is heavily dependent on agriculture in other countries for much of the food it consumes. The environment is also getting worse with each passing year, due to the effects of such problems as global warming. All of the issues that make the achievement of satisfying lifestyles and also securing a stable food supply, are important issues for mankind in the 21st Century. It is our hope that a great many young people will take an interest in the research being undertaken by the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, and lend their strengths and talents to the development of technologies that will open the door to a brighter future for all mankind.