SAIN Signed UK China Cooperation Initiative on Agricultural Green Development

On 27th May, the UK China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network (SAIN) organised an “UK China Agricultural Green Development Forum” in the UK Pavilion at the Beijing International Horticulture Expo 2019. About 40 people attended the event, included the UK representatives from British Embassy, ADAS, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Centre of Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Universities of East Anglia and Aberdeen; and the Chinese representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), China Association of Agricultural Science Society (CAASS), China Agricultural University (CAU), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Institute of Soil Sciences of Chinese Academy Sciences (ISSCAS).

The Forum was chaired by Yuelai Lu, Head of SAIN Secretariat (UK), and Wu Xiaochun, Deputy Director General, of Rural Energy and Environment Agency of MARA.

Ray Smith, the Agricultural Counsellor of British Embassy and Mr Mo Guanggang, the Deputy Secretary General of CAASS delivered opening speeches.

Prof Bob Rees of SRUC, Prof Roger Sylvester-Bradley of ADAS, Prof Chen Fu of CAU, Prof Ju Hui and Wang Hongyuan of CAAS delivered keynotes, highlighted the pathways to improve nitrogen management and development of climate resilient agriculture in China.

The participants of the Forum signed a Pledge to promote UK China cooperation on agricultural green development. In the Pledges, all signatories proposed to work together on delivering agricultural green development through innovative scientific research, dissemination, and integration of technology and food production standards.