Xi'an hosts 2009 Yangling International Agri-Science Forum

By Huang Chongcheng (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-11-09 10:34

The opening ceremony of the 2009 Yangling International Agri-Science Forum was held in the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of the A&F on Nov 1 in Xi'an. The three-day forum, themed "Rural Development, Technology, Finance, and Policy" was jointly held by the Ministry of Education together with the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and Shaanxi Provincial Government. It was undertaken by the A&F, Shaanxi Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, as well as the Board of Management of Yangling High Technical Agricultural Demonstration Zone.

Seventy-two experts and delegates from 16 foreign countries including Austria, the United States, the UK and the Netherlands, and over 60 representatives from 20 agricultural universities and colleges and Research Institutes in China attended the forum.

After the opening ceremony, speeches were made on various agricultural issues by several university professors, including Professor Huang Zuhui, President of CARD at Zhejiang University, Professor Martin J. Kropff, President of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and Cheng-I wei, Professor of the Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources of the University of Maryland.

Dr. Franz Fischler, President of FF Consultant Firm, Chairman of the Europe Ecological Forum, as well as ex-agricultural commissioner of the 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 were also on hand to discuss agricultural matters such as Chinese farmer cooperative organization, agriculture scientific research, and agricultural education.

The Yangling International Agri-technology Forum was started in 2006. At the 2007 forum, about 100 international and national agricultural scientists published the Yangling Manifesto, which suggested agricultural research scientists and teaching institutions all over the world exchange the latest worldwide achievements in the field of agricultural science and technology, discuss and explore new approaches to conduct cooperation and communication and promote the scientific and technologic progress of global agriculture.

In the last two to three years, the Yangling International Agri-technology Forum has formed a noted brand image and become an important platform for international and national agricultural scientists to research and discuss policies and conduct academic exchanges.