Enhancing capacity building and technology transfer of Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability for the sustainable value chain development of Special Agricultural Products

Beijing, China, 19-22 August 2023 - The International Capacity Building Workshop on Technology Transfer on Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability (GIES) for One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) implementation in the Asia-Pacific Region continued with technical sessions at headquarters of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR/CAS) in Beijing. The third part of the workshop informed participants on how IGSNRR/CAS has developed GIES framework, designed and implemented the GIES methodology and technology for wide range of SAPs in different agro-ecological zones, and about how GIES specifications are applied and GIES cases reviewed and evaluated in China.

Prof. Liu, the intellectual architect of GIES, introduced the overall framework of the GIES methodology, process, application and management. The presentation highlighted the five aspects, including

1) How to identify the geographic scope of the GIES site,

2) How to organize the multidisciplinary team for assessment led by local government;

3) How to conduct assessment to monitor the ecological environment related to the geographical habitat and product development using comprehensive geographical science and technology,

4) How to analyse product quality for appearance, sensory characteristics, chemical compositions and nutritional components, among other parameters, and

5) How to manage and publish the dataset under the auspices of the Global Change Research Data Publishing and Repository (GCdataPR), which is a member of the World Data System (WDS). 

In addition, various IGSNRR/CAS academicians expanded on technical issues surrounding GIES, such as GIS, remote sensing, big data technology, data quality control, peer review procedure, data and knowledge retention and publication procedures, followed by presentations on, among other things, multi-stakeholder cooperation and hardware support. In addition, a presentation by Liu Yizhuo, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce illustrated the status of agricultural trade in China, which showed that China’s agro-product trade has been expanding rapidly since its accession to the WTO, with a record trade value in 2022, offering a huge market potentials for high-end GIES products.

Prof Liu emphasized the importance of following a bottom-up approach: without the buy-in of local farmers and support from local administrations and other stakeholders, the success of GIES would be jeopardized. A field visit in an ongoing GIES case in walnut in Beijing confirmed the need for strong leadership of local administration and cooperative.

Prof Kadambot H.M. Siddique highly complimented that scientific rigor, environmental, social and economic benefits, putting under the same GIES umbrella, are set ultimately benefit the local farmers.

Following the technical discussions, participants reflected on how GIES could be promoted in their countries, by identifying the various stakeholders present along the value chain, and by weighing the various economic, legal, administrative and social issues to be considered. Ideas concerning future collaboration framework between FAO and IGSNRR/CAS for the OCOP countries were floated, and outlines concerning potential implementation approaches considered.

A special South-South Value Chain learning session and field visit to Beijing’s Agriculture Machinery Test Centre was included in the Part III. FAO and ESCAP-CSAM representatives have highlighted South-South value chain and trade as a critical channel to promote SAPs under OCOP. The practical and economically viable small-scale machineries, decentralised solar systems, and innovative PPP model to enhance the SAPs’ value chain were demonstrated at the session. The participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal and Papua New Guinea expressed their urge to transfer the innovative and practical technological solutions to OCOP countries.

The Workshop's closing ceremony was held in the main hall of IGSNRR/CAS on 22 Aug 2023, concluding the first collaborative activity between IGSNRR/CAS in China on GIES to support SAPs development for OCOP participating countries. During the closing ceremony, OCOP country participants expressed excitements and sincere appreciations to the co-organizers for organizing this wonderful study-tour with in-situ field visits to allow them to gain the first-hand knowledge, technology and practical experience on GIES. Besides, impressed by the wide applicability of GIES to all SAPs, each OCOP participating country delivered a group presentation outlining their preliminary action plan on how to apply GIES for their nominated OCOP, as well as other SAPs products in their countries. Furthermore, OCOP country participants actively contributed to the consultations on draft workplan for a five-year cooperative framework between FAO and IGSNRR/CAS on GIES for regional OCOP implementation expected to benefit all interested OCOP participating countries in Asia and the Pacific.