Resource Sharing and Win-Win Cooperation: WAITRO Workshop on Modern Sustainable Agriculture
The WAITRO Workshop on Modern Sustainable Agriculture was held successfully on August 25th. The event was jointly organized by the WAITRO Secretariat Office China and Jiangsu Science and Technology Department (JSTD). Qing Liu, President of JITRI, and Yangwei Zhao, Director of the International Cooperation Division of the Jiangsu Science and Technology Department, attended the workshop and gave welcome addresses.
During the event, WAITRO and Jiangsu Science and Technology Department jointly launched more than 20 sustainable technology cooperation projects from China, Thailand, Malaysia and Jordan, aiming to provide sustainable and cost-effective technologies. Eight of the projects were selected for live audiovisual presentation during the event.
JITRI Vice President Dr. Paul Burrows introduced the international cooperation platforms that JITRI has developed in recent years as well as WAITRO’s innovation ecosystem. Then, the Program Manager of WAITRO Secretariat Office Germany, Anna Wohlrab, presented the new features of WAITRO’s Innovation Platform SAIRA.
Dr. Moses Mengu, Senior Project Leader of Danish Technical Institute (DTI) and former Deputy Secretary general of WAITRO, exposed at the end of the first segment the current cooperation opportunities in African agriculture and possibilities that WAITRO members have in this field.
After the keynote speeches, eight sustainable agriculture project teams from China, Malaysia, Jordan and Thailand gave a detailed introduction of their projects. The workshop provided an opportunity for WAITRO members and non-members to showcase their projects and, in line with the WAITRO Innovation Award 2021 – Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture theme, provided new collaboration opportunities and technology reserves for the award applications. The projects were:
- Dr. Rujira Deewatthanawong from the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR) gave a presentation on Mycorrhizal Fungi as a Potential Bio-protectant for Tropical Fruit Trees. For more information: Dr. Rujira Deewatthanawong
- Dr. Huang Lu from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences presented two New Soybean Varieties, Sudou-7 and Sudou-22 with a long basic vegetative growth stage that improves the yield in locations where a short vegetative growth period is caused by high temperature. For more information: Prof. Xue Chenchen; Dr. Huang Lu
- Dr. Faizah Abu Kassim from the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Malaysia presented a Smart Portable Perma (SPP). The idea has already won several awards, both in Malaysia and internationally. For more information: Dr. Faizah Binti Abu Kassim
- Prof. Bin Xu from Nanjing Forestry University introduced High Efficiency and Ecological Value-added Treatment Technology for the Insect and Crack Prevention of Raw Bamboo. For more information: Prof. Bin Xu
- Dr. Amna Jrrar from the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan described an initiative of the world climate research program known as the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). This utilizes dynamical downscaling techniques to obtain climate change projections at a regional level. For more information: Dr. Amna Jrrar
- Prof. Zhenhui Kang from the Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials at Soochow University in China spoke about Enhancing Agricultural Production Using Nanotechnology. It was discovered that carbon dots can enhance plant disease resistance through inducing the expression of anti-disease genes and increase the uptake of nutrients. For more information: Prof. Zhenhui Kang
- Dr. Shaker Hammad, from The Royal Scientific Society, Jordan, described a European Union project to install Solar-powered Irrigation Water pumping in the Jordan valley and the highlands. For more information: Eng. Shaker Hammad
- Prof. Guigan Fang from the Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, presented a System for High-yield Pulping of Empty Palm Fruit Bunches for Production of High-strength Packaging Paper and Paperboard. For more information: Prof. Fang Guigan
To close the workshop, Director Yangwei Zhao gave summarizing comments and thanked all the participants and organizers.
For more information, please contact Mrs. Ran Duan
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