Keynote presentation at EAVLD2024, Padova, Italy

Masa Funabashi gave a keynote lecture at the 7th Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (EAVLD 2024), held on 21st-23rd October 2024 in Padova, Italy.

The presentation was entitled “From One Health to Planetary Health: towards an ecosystem-based approach to food production and public health with Synecoculture and Augmented Ecosystems.”

The abstract book is available here:

Gerardo Manfreda et al., Editors (2024) “EAVLD 2024 – 7th Congress of the European Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, 21st-23rd October 2024”, Italian Journal of Food Safety, 13(4). doi: 10.4081/ijfs.2024.13488.

Presentazione all’evento FondIZ/SIDiLV/IZSLER a Brescia, Italia

Masa Funabashi ha presentato all’attività formativa di SIDiLV “I cambiamenti climatici: sistemi di resilienza delle attività agricole al riscaldamento globale,” co-organizzata con FondIZ e IZSLER l’11 ottobre 2024. L’evento è stato anche accreditato ECM (Educazione Continua in Medicina).

La presentazione è intitolata “Synecoculture and Human Augmentation of Ecosystems: Opportunities for Introduction in Mediterranean Countries”

Poster Presentation at ICSD2024

André Tindano presented the poster:

“Synecoculture” as a forever carbon-negative agro-ecological paradigm

at the 12th Annual International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD2024), held on 19-21 Sep 2024 in New York, under the theme: 3A Nature-based solutions for local climate challenges.

The International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) is known for providing a forum for academia, government, civil society, UN agencies, and the private sector to come together and share practical solutions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Presentation at the Future of Climate Summit VOL II in New York

The Future of Climate Summit VOL II was held on September 20, 2024, at Dentons Law Firm in New York Midtown. This event, co-hosted by PDIE Group and Venionaire Capital AG, convened global leaders, innovators, and investors to address critical issues in the climate crisis. With the theme “Positive Futures enabled by AI,” the summit delved into key topics such as energy transition, sustainable cities, biodiversity, and groundbreaking innovations in collaboration with The Earthshot Prize.

Masa Funabashi joined as a featured speaker in the Food & Agriculture session.

Read the conference report here.

Presentation at IEEE RO-MAN 2024

The following paper was presented at the 33rd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (ROMAN) held in August 26-30, 2024, at Pasadena, CA, USA.

Locating the Fruit to Be Harvested and Estimating Cut Positions from RGBD Images Acquired by a Camera Moved Along Fixed Paths Using a Mask-R-CNN Based Method
Zhao, Wentao (Waseda University), Otani, Takuya (Shibaura Institute of Technology), Sugiyama, Soma (Waseda University), Mitani, Kento (Waseda University), Masaya, Koki (Waseda University), Takanishi, Atsuo (Waseda University), Aotake, Shuntaro (Waseda University), Funabashi, Masatoshi (SonyCSL/Kyoto University), Ohya, Jun (Waseda University)
Keywords: Degrees of Autonomy and TeleoperationMachine Learning and Adaptation
Abstract: Compared to traditional agricultural environments, the high density and diversity of vegetation layouts in Synecoculture farms present significant challenges in locating and harvesting occluded fruits and pedicels (cutting points). To address this challenge, this study proposes a Mask R-CNN-based method for locating fruits (tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, etc.) and estimating the pedicels from RGBD images acquired by a camera moved along fixed paths. After obtaining masks of all fruits and pedicels, this method judges the matching relationship between the located fruit and pedicel according to the 3D distance between the fruit and pedicel. Subsequently, this research determines the least occluded best viewpoint for harvesting based on the visible real areas of located fruits in images acquired under the fixed paths, and harvesting is then completed from this best viewpoint following a straight path. Experimental results show this method effectively identifies occluded targets and their cutting positions in both Gazebo simulation environments and real-world farms. This method can select the least occluded viewpoint for a high harvesting success rate.

Lancement du Projet « Résilience climatique locale par la synécoculture, technique agricole à haut rendement dans la région du Nord du Cameroun, principalement dans les communes de Garoua II (Bénoué) et à Figuil (Mayo- Louti) »

Le projet a été lancé le 30 juillet 2024, en partenariat avec des acteurs techniques tels que le Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Protection de la Nature et du Développement Durable (MINEPDED), le Ministère de l’Agriculture et du Développement Rural (MINADER), ainsi que le Ministère de l’Éducation de Base (MINEDUB), qui intègrera le projet à travers l’introduction de la synécoculture dans les jardins scolaires.

Ce projet formera 500 producteurs agricoles (femmes, hommes, jeunes) aux pratiques synécoculturales, répartis équitablement entre 250 à Garoua II et 250 à Figuil. Un comité de pilotage de 8 à 10 membres sera mis en place, comprenant un représentant de la communauté de Garoua II et un autre de Figuil.

Un guide pratique sur l’agriculture synécoculturelle sera élaboré, destiné aux jeunes élèves et comprenant un recensement des bonnes pratiques. Soixante élèves seront sélectionnés pour mettre en œuvre des jardins scolaires dans six établissements, répartis entre 4 jardins utilisant des méthodes agricoles conventionnelles et 2 jardins basés sur des techniques synécoculturelles. Il y aura ainsi trois jardins à Garoua II et trois à Figuil, dont un jardin expérimental en synécoculture dans chaque commune.

Information de base:

Assistance technique : Promotion des techniques de Synécoculture pour renforcer la résilience climatique et améliorer la sécurité alimentaire dans le nord du Cameroun
Localisation : Garoua et Figuil, Région Nord, Cameroun
Solution : Techniques de Synécoculture pour une agriculture durable
Subvention PNUE CTCN : 175 000 USD

Basic Information:

Technical Assistance: Promoting Synecoculture Techniques to Build Climate Resilience and Improve Food Security in Northern Cameroon
Location: Garoua and Figuil, North Region, Cameroon
Solution: Synecoculture Techniques for Sustainable Agriculture
UNEP CTCN grant: USD 175,000

See the UNDP-CTCN project announcement

Synecoculture mentioned in INRM Final Report: Sahel Triple Nexus

The Final Report: Addressing Gender Inequality, State Fragility, and Climate Vulnerability in the Sahel Region, published by USAID Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM), introduced Synecoculture with the following quote:

In Burkina Faso, the government has focused on strong resilience-oriented policies and is committed to realizing its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
One respondent explained, “Resilience is the best approach: change our practices by introducing the use of new farming techniques, especially market gardening; promote soilless cultivation and new farming
techniques, known as synecoculture, which is agriculture through ecological synthesis.”