Today a Rural Revitalization and Integrated Urban-Rural Development Forum, co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in China and Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS), was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Representative of FAO China Dr. Vincent Martin, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province Mr. Fei Gaoyun, President of the JAAS Mr. Yi Zhongyi, as well as representatives from neighbor cities and provinces, such as Shanghai, Zhejiang province, Anhui province and Jiangsu province, also attended the opening ceremony.

Dr. Vincent Martin delivered an opening speech at the forum expressing his gratitude and congratulation to the successful convening of such an important event that came in time and with a well-chosen theme. He pointed out that the Rural Vitalization Strategy ranked as the highest tool and framework for guiding the development of agriculture and rural areas in China. FAO is uniquely positioned to support the Chinese government in this strategy by virtue of FAO’s large experience in understanding rural dynamics, the agriculture sector, rural and structural transformation pathways and its integrated approaches on territorial development and sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

 “According to FAO's Country Planning Framework (2016-2020), FAO's cooperation with China mainly focused on four areas, including fostering sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural development; reducing rural poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition; promoting a one-health approach for improved public health; and facilitating China's regional and international agricultural cooperation.” introduced by Dr. Martin. He also added that “these priorities have been built on the national agriculture development priorities and demonstrated a close linkage to the five goals of Rural Vitalization as ‘thriving business, pleasant living environment, social equity and civility, effective governance and prosperity.”

In the first area of fostering sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural development, FAO focuses more specifically on the introduction and adoption of innovative approaches and best practices to contribute to sustainable agricultural development in China; as well as promoting biodiversity.

Under the second area of reducing rural poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, FAO harnesses its technical excellence in the areas of rural people’s economic empowerment, social protection and decent rural employment to assist China in implementing the Targeted Poverty Reduction Scheme as put forward by the government. Special attention is given to inclusive and equitable development of the most vulnerable groups.

With the supports of the Guangfa Securites, FAO is working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and other national stakeholders to implement Farmer Field Schools (FFS) trainings to mitigate pesticide risks in selected rural villages, adopt participatory guarantee system and financial tools to provide quality assurance and financial support for the poor, and thus link farmers with markets and improve their income and livelihoods.

Thirdly, FAO promotes the “One Health” approach aiming to manage and reduce the impact of animal and plant diseases and other public health threats, especially Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), thus improving food safety, enhancing trade flows, and improving human health and nutrition.

Facilitating China's regional and international agriculture cooperation is the fourth area identified for cooperation.  China sets an example in the area of agricultural development and has accumulated a wealth of experience and techniques, including knowledge, good practices, policies, technology and resources.

 “Our gathering today at the Forum is the recognition of the synergy we can draw through cooperation. As one of the most developed regions in China, Jiangsu province has rich experiences on rural revitalization and urban-rural inclusive development. JAAS also enjoys a distinguished reputation in agricultural research, education and extension.  We share the same vision for inclusive development in rural China through sustainable agriculture, sustainable mechanization, and City Region Food Systems and many other means to be explored as our collaboration goes on. ” concluded by Dr. Martin.

The three-day forum covered seven keynote presentations, three field visits and another three parallel seminars. Experts from FAO, including Fenton Beed, Josef Martin Kienzle, Guido Santini and many other agricultural experts and officials at provincial level exchanged their latest research results and facilitated in-depth discussions on the theme of rural revitalization and urban-rural integrated development. Experts also provided their opinions and advices on the future development of rural revitalization and urban-rural integration in China.