Agriculture university in Shaanxi boosts Belt &Road cooperation amid pandemic

XI'AN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) in northwest China's Shaanxi Province strives to continue its agricultural cooperation with countries under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The provincial capital of Xi'an has registered more than 2,000 local COVID-19 cases since Dec. 9 last year. Faced with stringent epidemic prevention and control measures due to the latest resurgence, the university has continued to conduct research at its eight overseas agricultural technology demonstration parks in countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

According to Zhang Zhengmao, an NWAFU professor, the university managed to evaluate the drought resistance of four wheat varieties that are resistant to stripe rust with professors in Kazakhstan via video link.

Zhang's team taught local farmers in Kazakhstan cultivation techniques through training courses.

"In this way, we have made our contributions to global food security while helping local farmers raise their incomes," Zhang said.

Hai Jiangbo, director of the African Research Center of NWAFU, offered guidance to cooperation partners in African countries via video materials translated by his team. They also gave online courses to African students in NWAFU.

"Many of our African graduates from the college have become ambassadors of China-Africa friendship after they returned to their homeland," said Hai. "The virus inevitably affects our cooperation, but we have tried our best to advance the cooperation programs."

In 2020, the university took a lead to cultivate postgraduates majoring in agriculture under the BRI framework. Five of the postgraduates in the educational program are now doing internships in foreign-related agricultural companies and 11 are participating in agriculture programs of modern technology in Uzbekistan.

By the end of 2020, the Silkroad Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance led by NWAFU had attracted 85 member universities or research institutes from 17 countries and regions. The SCO Institute of Modern Agricultural Development was also inaugurated by the university in July 2020.