The Japanese government is set to announce a new crop of botanicals that would help the nation cope with the impacts of climate change, according to reports.
The National Science Foundation and the Ministry of Health will jointly develop botanics that can be used to improve the quality of Japanese food and beverages.
In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will announce that the government is “looking to create a new generation of botanical products that can improve human health and well-being,” according to Reuters.
He added that the new botaniques would be produced in cooperation with the country’s agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ministries.
The government has already launched a botanical research and development program aimed at boosting its ability to produce its own food, which includes its staple crops.
In 2015, it began a program to cultivate new botanical species.
This is the first time the Japanese government has established a botanically-related program that has included agricultural use, according the Japan Times.
The program is set for three years, and will be overseen by the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program will also include the establishment of a botanic breeding program.
The Japanese government will be the first country to establish such a program, but a growing number of other nations, including the United States and China, are also considering it as well.