Future Change-Makers for Sustainable Agriculture Development in China
Sustainable agriculture and food processing are among the world’s most pressing challenges, to help feed the world’s rapidly growing population while protecting the environment and natural resources.
As one of the biggest producers and consumers of agricultural products, driving sustainable development in agriculture is a high priority concern for China, where field research shows that only 18% of farmers are equipped for, and trained in, sustainable farming methods.
Louis Dreyfus Foundation has partnered with China Education Support Project (CESP), an NGO promoting social practice projects for college students, and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), to help promote sustainable farming by empowering young talents to lead the change.
"The project will train a group of agricultural innovators to inject fresh energy into China's sustainable agricultural development," said Xia Jun, Secretary-General of CESP.
Over the course of three years, the project aims to reach 200 university students and over 2,000 farmers, with the objective to save water and reduce unnecessary use of fertilizers. During the project, the young talents will have opportunities to interact with industry experts, deliver sustainable agriculture knowledge to local farmers through field practices, and consolidate and share learnings under the guidance of academic professors.
“We are very excited to launch Foundation’s first project in China, working collaboratively with our partners to engage with students and local farming communities to accelerate positive change, in line with the country’s efforts to drive sustainable agriculture,” said Robert Serpollet, General Manager of the Louis Dreyfus Foundation.
The project’s first training session took place on July 3, giving 60 students a global overview of sustainable farming development, and run online to address health and safety concerns during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Another online training will follow in July and August, to equip students with practical measures to implement sustainable farming field operations, followed by a field trip to promote sustainable farming practices among farmers in Shandong and Hebei.
1 Source: China Education Support Project (CESP) data