On the 31st of May, the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IVF-CAAS) had the honor of hosting Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The visit was marked by the presence of distinguished guests including Jianmin Xie, Director of the International Potato Center China (CIP-China) Center for Asia and the Pacific, and Zhigang Chen, Director of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia office of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The event was also graced by Zhai Lin, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS, Zhang Shengping, Deputy Director General of IVF-CAAS, and Li Lei, Director of the Research Management Division of IVF-CAAS, among others.

The delegation, led by Dr. Elouafi, embarked on a tour of the IVF-CAAS’s southern district greenhouse, where they were greeted with enthusiasm by Deputy Director General Zhang Shengping. Director Li Lei provided an overview of the institute, highlighting its significant strides in scientific innovation and international collaboration. The delegation were then escorted through the flower display section, where researcher Fan Youwei offered insights into the institute's capabilities in flower resource management and variety breeding. The delegation expressed a keen interest in the IVF-CAAS’s extensive flower breeding resources and sophisticated techniques for flower period modulation.

CGIAR's mission is to empower developing countries to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty through scientific research and activities in various sectors, including agriculture, livestock, forestry, fisheries, policy, and natural resource management. Dr. Elouafi commended the IVF-CAAS‘s accomplishments in vegetable variety selection and flower breeding, and expressed a desire for deeper collaborative ties to share knowledge, enhance cooperation, and foster sustainable development.

Experts from the Cucurbitaceae Research Laboratory and the Flower Research Laboratory of IVF-CAAS participated in the event.                                                                                                                       

By Yubo Ma (mayubo@caas.cn)