On December 15th, the awarding ceremony for the first batch of "China-Africa Joint Centers for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration and Training" was held in Haikou, Hainan Province.

As one of the first four centers awarded, the Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will undertake the operation of the Sichuan-based Joint Center. The establishment of the Joint Centers is a token to implement President Xi Jinping's important speech at the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on "establishing a number of China-Africa joint centers for modern agricultural technology exchange, demonstration and training in China".

The Center will be positioned as an agricultural science and technology training and education center, a technology demonstration center, and a platform for the exchange of technology and talents, with the focus on the exchange and demonstration of biomass energy, green agricultural development and so on. It will give full play to the potential in science and technology resources, provide Chinese solutions for promoting green agricultural development, alleviate energy shortages and respond to climate change in Africa, and thus facilitate the "going-global" of Chinese agricultural science and technology and the implementation the Belt and Road Initiative.

By Cheng Jingsi (chengjingsi@caas.cn)