Agricultural innovation goes global

A national legislator has suggested expanding China's Science and Technology Backyard model overseas to support poverty reduction and agricultural modernization in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and across the Global South.

Zhang Fusuo, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a professor at China Agricultural University, initiated the training model that dispatches graduate students and researchers to provide hands-on technical assistance to farmers in rural areas.

Since its launch in Quzhou county, Hebei province, in 2009, a total of 5,700 backyards have been established nationwide, involving 290 higher education institutions and more than 10,000 students. Beginning in 2019, Chinese universities expanded the model overseas and established 14 backyards in 10 countries, including Malawi and Kenya, contributing to food security in more than a dozen villages.

Zhang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an international plant nutritionist, said the biggest step for science and technology backyards in the next decade is to continue going global, emphasizing the mutual benefits of engagement with other countries.

However, he acknowledged challenges facing overseas STBs, including the model's reliance on research funding and the absence of stable funding channels for international operations.

"Current overseas initiatives also face limitations in private sector and NGO participation, hindering a fully integrated approach that combines education, technology and industry," Zhang said, highlighting a lack of legal and financial support for NGOs seeking to establish backyards abroad.

To address these challenges, the lawmaker suggested integrating overseas science and technology backyards into China's national foreign aid system, creating standardized operational procedures and dedicated funding streams.

He also called for multistake-holder collaboration involving government, universities, enterprises and social organizations.

"Domestic agricultural companies should be provided with financial incentives to partner with overseas science and technology backyards, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship where companies provide funding while the backyards offer technical expertise and talent," he said.

The Global Science and Technology Backyard Center in Hainan province is expected to attract both Chinese and international agricultural enterprises to establish operations. By building a global cluster, the center will provide tailored agricultural technology services overseas, according to Zhang.

In Sanya, Hainan province, the team is working to transform high-quality agricultural practices into replicable business models that can expand internationally.

"The climate in many countries of the Global South is very similar to Sanya's tropical conditions, yet if you travel to parts of Africa, you'll see far fewer diverse crops," Zhang said.

The team aims to transfer technology for cultivating various tropical agricultural products to African partners through the backyards, he added.

Meanwhile, strengthening talent cultivation is also crucial, the NPC deputy said. He suggested expanding scholarship programs for students from the Global South to study in China, along with a "1+1+1" model that combines study in China, practical experience in their home countries and further training in China.

"This should be coupled with a dual-mentor system pairing Chinese and local experts to ensure the effective adaptation of technology to local languages, cultures and policies," he said.

Zhang emphasized the importance of training local agricultural leaders and technicians, as well as fostering exchanges and cooperation among farmers.

"Different from the previous aid model where we spent money and sent our people to build facilities and cultivate the land in Africa, we now go for guidance two or three times a year, and they do it themselves," he said.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn