The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) hosted a seminar “Agricultural Research for Development in the 21 st Century: Opportunities for Strengthening the China-CGIAR Partnership,” in April.

“The development of agricultural science and technology in China cannot be separated from the CGIAR,” said Li Zhangdong, Director General of International Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, in opening remarks. “There exists great potential for further cooperation.” Dr. Zhai Huqu, President, CAAS, welcomed participants and called on them to “broaden and diversify cooperation with the CGIAR.” He delivered his remarks in Chinese, and Gong Xifeng, CAAS, provided simultaneous translation ably.

The seminar attracted over 50 Chinese participants (from Ministry of Agriculture, CAAS, and Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences and Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences) who joined CGIAR partners for a sharing of experiences, and identifying topics for strengthened collaboration between Chinese centers of excellence and CGIAR Centers.

“The CGIAR has a proud history of partnership with China,” said Masa Iwanaga, Director General, CIMMYT, speaking on behalf of the Future Harvest Centers. “This strong base of partnership is built on shared values and understanding, and we look forward to a new era of China-CGIAR collaboration.”

In presenting an overview of the China-CGIAR partnership, Francisco Reifschneider, CGIAR Director, urged participants to consider rapidly accelerating the pace of scientific change as well as the changing contexts in which agricultural research for development is being practiced. He called for greater collaboration, dialogue, and new modalities of working. He noted CGIAR is a small, but effective platform for mobilizing science and encouraged participants to think more expansively about mobilizing resources—intellectual, scientific, and technical—not just financial.

A session co-chaired by Zhang Lijian (CAAS) and Masa Iwanaga featured technical presentations from CGIAR Centers (CIMMYT, CIP, ICRISAT, IFPRI, ILRI, IPGRI, IRRI and World Agroforestry Centre). From China, presentations were made by senior scientists of China National Rice Research Institute, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Institute of Livestock Research, and Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences.

Over the course of the next 12 months, a visioning exercise to determine priorities will be completed. In addition, knowledge-sharing activities will be further strengthened through a China-CGIAR fellowship program, public awareness activities including media training for CAAS scientists, and a joint publications program. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Ren Wang (IRRI).