Authors: | Date：2009-11-02 11:11:21

On the afternoon of November 1st, the opening ceremony of the 2009 Yangling International Agri-science Forum themed by “rural development: technology, finance, and policy” was grandly held in the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of the A&F. The forum was jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Education, together with State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government, and was organized by the A&F, Shaanxi Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, as well as Administrative Committee of Yangling High Technical Agricultural Demonstration Zone. Altogether 72 experts and delegates from 16 foreign countries including Austria, United States, UK, Holland, Israel, Australia, Japan, Canada, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Mongolia, and Serbia etc. and over 60 representatives from 20 agricultural universities and colleges, as well as Research Institutes in China attended the forum.

Zhang Shengchao, Vice-Chairman of CPPC in Shaanxi Provincial Government, Lu Ming, Deputy-Director or State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, Xu Yongji, Deputy-Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Dept. of the Ministry of Education, Professor Zhao Zhong, Vice-President of the A&F, as well as Brigitte Winklehner, Chairman of Eurasia-Pacific Uninet delivered a speech respectively. Wu Yunru, Director of Economic and Technological Experts Dept. of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs presided over the opening ceremony of the forum.

Zhang Shengchao, Vice-Chairman of CPPC in Shaanxi Provincial Government pointed out that the agricultural development is currently in an important stage that opportunities and challenges coexist. China is a large agricultural nation, and the fact that whether China can resolve problems concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers properly makes large sense to build a well-off society in an all-round way. With the internationalization of agriculture, agricultural development of China must fully absorb the essence of traditional agriculture as well as the foreign advanced experiences, apply modern science and technology, and act in accordance with the economic theory, so as to improve the agriculture production level as well as the capacity for sustainable development, to accelerate the modernization of agriculture. He hoped that all the experts and scholars could conduct further cooperation and exchange in the fields of agricultural science and technology education, and make new contributions to the development of agriculture hand in hand by making full use of “Yangling International Agri-science Forum”, and complying with the principles of "complementary advantages, unity and cooperation, stressed practical results, and collaborative development”.

Lu Ming, Deputy-Director or State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs hoped that each expert and scholar could make full use of “Yangling International Agri-science Forum”, and comply with the principles of "complementary advantages, unity and cooperation, stressed practical results, and collaborative development” so as to conduct extensive cooperation and exchange in the fields such as agricultural development mode, financial policy, and the education science and technology policy etc., and make new contributions to the science and technology development of agriculture.

Xu Yongji, Deputy-Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Dept. of the Ministry of Education said in the speech that, the service offered by higher agricultural universities in the fields of agricultural economic construction and social development gradually got attention after hundreds of development. Higher agricultural universities guide and promote the agricultural reform and progress through cultivating agricultural talents, conducting agricultural scientific researches. Today, the agricultural science and technology experts and scholars from all over the world get together in Yangling and discussed and communicated on agricultural science and technology progress, the rural financial system innovation and agricultural policies etc. It would not only play an important role in settling the problem such as the agricultural and rural development, but also provide tremendous potential and space for further enriching educational science and technology resources, strengthening cooperative researches, and promoting social development.

Professor Zhao Zhong, Executive Vice-President of the A&F introduced in the speech the situation of the construction and development of the A&F. He said, the forum which was themed by "rural development, science and technology, finance and policy", emphasized how to promote rural and agricultural development though technology, finance, as well as policies, and was of great significance. At the same time, the forum provided a new opportunity for the A&F to strengthen cooperation and exchange with the talents. He hoped sincerely that the A&F could establish long term of mutual benefit cooperation relationship with the talents here, and make contributions for the development of agricultural science and technology and education for the whole world.

Professor Winklehner, the President of Eurasia-Pacific Uninet, expressed her hoped that based on the Yangling International Agri-science Forum, through joint efforts of agricultural experts of all countries, the environmental problems, pollution problems and food security problems which the world is confronted can be solved gradually. At the same time, she also hoped that more colleges and universities of European Union could come to Yangling and conduct interactive communication and cooperation with China in a larger scale.

After the opening ceremony, 15 people including Professor Huang Zuhui, President of CARD in Zhe Jiang University, Professor Martin J. Kropff, Vector of  Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Cheng-I wei, Professor of Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources of University of Maryland, Dr. Franz Fischler, President of FF Consultant Firm, Chairman of Europe Ecological Forum, as well as ex-agricultural commissioner of European Union, Gao Qijie, Professor of China Agricultural University, Dr. Yvon Martel, Chief Scientist of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Soji Adelaja, Professor of Michigan State University successively gave speeches on Chinese farmer cooperative organization, agriculture, agriculture scientific research as well as agricultural education under the development, the comprehensive management of the application system, the public policy on the rural development, the innovative abilities of agricultural scientific and research companies as well as its in influence factors, the agricultural development and the food production in Northern Canada, the land utilization in 21st century.
During the three-day forum, focusing on agricultural science and technology promotion, resource utilization, policy of rural area development, financial market of rural area, integrated rural development, agricultural scientific and technology innovation, environmental protection and administration, international and national experts and scholars conducted extensive and embedded discussions and researches. About 60 experts gave group statements.

Yangling International Agri-science Forum was started from 2006. At 2007’s forum, about 100 international and national agricultural scientists published Yangling Manifesto, which suggested scientists of agricultural researching and teaching institutions all over the world to make full use of this platform, exchange the latest worldwide achievements in the field of agricultural science and technology, discuss and explore new approach to conduct cooperation and communication and promote the scientific and technologic progress of global agriculture. In such a short period of time, which only lasted two to three years, the Yangling International Agri-science Forum has already initially formed a favourable brand image. Its content was continuously expanded and enriched, institutions and personnel participated in it were also increasing in number, and the attention it attracted and the influence it contained were more and more greater. Experts and scholars from 52 universities, scientific research institutions and government departments of 16 countries participated in the forum of this year. The number of countries and units involved in it was almost two times of that in 2007. At present, the Yangling International Agri-science Forum and the China Yangling Agricultural High-tech Fair were enhancing each other’s beauty and had already become an important platform for international and national agricultural scientists to research and discuss policies, conduct academic exchange, collect ideas and discuss cooperation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by: Yang Yaorong
Translated by: Yu Huiqing & Wang Qi
Proofread by: Tian Zhiqiang