"Digital Agriculture and Smart Agricultural Machinery" Youth Scientist Salon Successfully Held

On July 15, the "Digital Agriculture and Smart Agricultural Machinery" Youth Scientist Salon was held in Beijing.

Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), organized by the China Association of Agricultural Science Societies (CAASS), and co-organized by the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) Representative Office in China, the UN Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (CSAM), the German Agricultural Society, and the Information Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, the salon was held online and onsite. The livestreamed salon was watched by more than 500,000 people.

Guihua Zhang, secretary of the secretariat of CAST attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. He highlighted the importance of building high-level academic exchange platform, strengthening the training of young talents, and deepening international cooperation.

“The ubiquity, portability and mobility of digital technologies are transforming our agriculture and food production,” said Carlos Watson, FAO representative to China, at the opening ceremony.He reaffirmed FAO’s support for the development of digital and smart agriculture in China.

17 outstanding young scientists from China, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom made keynote reports on agricultural robots, smart farms, precision agriculture and other topics, 15 outstanding young experts engaged in related research participated in the on-site exchanges and discussion.

Established by CAST, the Youth Scientist Salon is an exchange platform for young scientific and technological talents. It aims to stimulate the innovation and creativity of young scientists. So far, 60 sessions have been held.