2019 China-Japan Green Agriculture Forum held in Hohhot

Co-sponsored by China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange, the Inner Mongolia Association for Science and Technology and the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies and organized by the Hohhot Association for Science and Technology, the 2019 China-Japan Green Agriculture Forum was held in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia, on July 11, 2019.

The 2019 China-Japan Green Agriculture Forum is held in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia, on July 11, 2019. (Photo by Zhou Yajun)

Ouyang Xiaohui, vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, noted in his speech that Inner Mongolia, located on China's northern border, is a major grain growing area of China and a supply base of green agricultural and livestock products.

"Inner Mongolia still has nearly half its population living and pursuing agriculture and animal husbandry in farming and pastoral areas," said Ouyang.

"Promoting green agricultural development is of great significance for accelerating the modernization of agriculture and animal husbandry and for ensuring China's food security, ecological safety and the people's wellbeing."

Generally speaking, Inner Mongolia's agriculture and animal husbandry is still at a stage of transformation and seeking high quality growth, Ouyang remarked, believing that with the strong demand for green, quality agricultural and ecological products, the potential for green agriculture and animal husbandry is huge.

Ouyang stressed that the hosting of the forum in Inner Mongolia has built an important platform for China-Japan communication and exchanges and facilitated positive actions for deepening cooperation.

He hoped that the forum will help build a more effective mechanism for exchanges and cooperation and deepen and broaden pragmatic cooperation with greater results.

Liu Xu, vice president of the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), said in his speech that green agriculture is about upholding the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," about acting on the principles of prioritizing resource conservation and environmental protection and letting nature restore itself, and about forging an effective, secure, low-carbon, circular, intelligent and integrated green agriculture technology system that supports and guides the development of green agriculture.

Liu called on science and technology workers as well as agricultural and animal husbandry businesses to strengthen international science and technology cooperation and support and contribute to, through science communication and innovation, Inner Mongolia's efforts to prioritize ecological conservation and boost green development.

Zhao Ji, president of the Inner Mongolia Association for Science and Technology, presided over the opening ceremony.

Chinese and Japanese experts presented special reports on green agriculture and animal husbandry at the forum, including:

Wang Lei, assistant to academician Yin Yulong of the CAE: Planting and Breeding Integration and Rural Revitalization;

Satoshi Kai, president of Japan's Nakamura Gakuen University: Cutting-edge Technologies and New Methods for Developing Grain, Agriculture and Rural Areas in Japan;

Wang Zhigang, professor of the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China: An Analysis of the New Agriculture Support and Protection Policy System under the Strategy for Rural Revitalization: Difficulties, Causes and Solutions;

Ito Fusao, professor of the Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Japan's Tohoku University: A Practical Survey on Urban-Rural Symbiotic Development and Exchange Economy;

Lu Zhanyuan, president of the Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Science: Status Quo of Inner Mongolia's Agricultural Development and Related Thoughts;

Oh Kokyo, lead researcher of the Saitama-ken International Center for Environmental Science: Japan's Building of Environmental-friendly and Highly-Convenient Rural Areas and Its Inspirations for China's Building of a New Countryside and Agroecology;

Asaoka Yumi, head of Faculty of Business, Marketing and Distribution, Japan's Nakamura Gakuen University: Green Sightseeing Development in Itoshima-shi;

Yuan Jianmin, professor of the College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University: Green Poultry Breeding and Feed Preparation Techniques.

Participating experts all made comments and suggestions on Inner Mongolia's green agricultural development from perspectives of their expertise.

During the opening ceremony, doctor Oh Kokyo, an expert supported byHOME (Help Our Motherland through Elite Intellectual Resources from Overseas) Program, signed a cooperation agreement with the Hohhot Association for Science and Technology to set up a HOME Program workstation in Inner Mongolia's Lv Ye Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Development Co, Ltd.

Su Yalai, vice president of the Inner Mongolia Association for Science and Technology, awarded the plate bearing the workstation's name on the occasion.

Altogether over 200 people attended the forum, including officials of the China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange, the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies, the Hubei Association for Science and Technology, the Guizhou Association for Science and Technology and the agricultural and animal husbandry departments of Inner Mongolia. They were joined by representatives of science and technology associations of other relevant provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and sub-provincial cities as well as agricultural and animal husbandry technology workers of Inner Mongolia.