Agriculture, Food Security & Rural Planning~

Chinese diaspora paved way for BRI

October 20, 2023 CEN_com 0

The biggest international trading venture in world history is 10 years old. But there’s an extraordinary tale behind the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. And that’s the story of the exceptional Chinese Diaspora experience, which laid the foundations for the infrastructure project’s success.  This Chinese macro-migration endeavor, individual by individual, long predates the remarkable BRI, which is, today, measurably retracing the diaspora’s pioneering footsteps. Richard Cullen reports. THIS YEAR, […]

A New History of the Chinese Zodiac

October 12, 2023 CEN_com 0

“My work has taught me that without humans, animals continue to thrive, but without animals, humans can barely move forward.” Professor Yuan Jing, Institute of Archaeology, CASS. When archaeologists unearthed homo erectus remains — the famous “Peking Man” — from a cave in what is now suburban Beijing in the 1920s, it made headlines around the world. But Peking Man wasn’t the only thing archaeologists found at the site: The […]

Abundant harvest of giant rice

September 11, 2023 CEN_com 0

The abundant harvest of giant rice in Guanxi region could play a key role in ensuring China’s food security. Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the genetics of rice breeding that could lead to a healthier, higher-yield hybrid variety of the grain. Japonica and Indica rice are two widely grown varieties in China, each with distinct characteristics and geographical distributions. Hybrids of these two types are stronger and more […]

China backs African modernization

September 3, 2023 CEN_com 0

China will allocate more resources for Africa’s industrialisation and agricultural modernization – as well as train thousands of African students in vocational skills, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised African leaders during his visit to South Africa for the BRICS Summit. Meeting African leaders for the China-Africa Leaders’ Roundtable Dialogue at the end of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, Xi said China would launch an initiative to support Africa’s industrialisation. Through the new proposal, the […]

Climate change & China’s croplands

September 2, 2023 CEN_com 0

China experienced both extreme heat and “devastating” floods this summer, which had an impact” on food supplies and rice crops. This Carbon Brief article on how climate change is affecting China’s cropland, looks at arable land policies and potential impacts of climate on food security. Official Chinese data shows that at least 1.9m hectares (19,000km2) or 8% of wheat land in China have been affected by a sustained spate of rains – with […]

Aging population & farming in China

August 21, 2023 CEN_com 0

Beijing to strengthen food security to satisfy domestic demand and withstand potential US maritime blockade. RIA Novosti news agency (RT ) reports that in a bid to secure a domestic food supply and cut down reliance on foreign imports, China is expanding its farmlands. As explained by the newspaper the China Daily, “the rapidly ageing rural population has made it more challenging for China to ensure food security,” bringing about a decline in […]

China’s ancient rice technology

August 12, 2023 CEN_com 0

Modern agricultural equipment is helping the ancient farming method of rice ratooning make a comeback in east China. New China TV Ratoon rice technology: A green and resource-efficient way for rice production Ratoon rice refers to the production of a second rice crop from the stubble after the harvest of the main crop, is considered a green and resource-efficient rice production system. Chinese scientists are comprehensively evaluating the performance of […]

China’s Village Science program

August 6, 2023 CEN_com 0

China’s agricultural scientists protect ecology and improve farmers’ income While Lake Erhai has received much attention for its ecological preservation, the Lake basin has also suffered from high pollution, high deposits of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil, and low agricultural yields. In the past, the protection efforts for the Erhai Lake were not coordinated with agricultural development, and farmers’ income suffered. Village Science and Technology Backyard  Professor Zhang decided […]

BRI – Protecting cultural heritage

July 13, 2023 CEN_com 0

Protecting cultural heritage, promoting mutual learning among civilizations To protect cultural heritage and pass it down through generations is a shared responsibility of mankind. So far, the number of world heritage sites in China has grown to 56, including the Great Wall and the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu province, the Yungang Grottoes in north China’s Shanxi province and Fujian Tulou, a type […]

China protects ancient trees

July 12, 2023 CEN_com 0

Science-based measures implemented to protect old, valuable trees in China. Cover photo: Tanzhe Temple, located in Mentougou District, Beijing, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Beijing. There is a tall and lush ginkgo tree （银杏树) in the temple yard, which is estimated to be more than 1,300 years old, and was named ‘Emperor Tree’ by the Qing Dynasty Emperor. Old and valuable trees are “living fossils” that carry the memories […]