Nanjing, March 23-24‌ — A delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) visited Nanjing for a two-day tour. During their stay, Zhou Hongbo, Standing Committee Member of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee, met with FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and his delegation. Li Baiping, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee, attended in the meetings and accompanying field visits.

During the meeting, Zhou Hongbo stated that international cooperation in agriculture and rural development has long been a key component of Nanjing’s opening-up strategy and its efforts to advance agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. He emphasized Nanjing’s solid foundation in urban modern agriculture, agricultural technological innovation, and international agricultural collaboration, supported by institutions such as Nanjing Agricultural University and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, as well as high-level scientific innovation platforms. With its urban modern agriculture development index ranking among the top in China, Nanjing is well-positioned to become a national hub for agricultural openness and cooperation. Nanjing will further refine the tripartite coordination mechanism involving international organizations, local governments, and academic institutions, leveraging its strengths in science and education to actively participate in global agricultural technology research and international cooperation projects in fields such as bio-breeding, agricultural equipment, and smart agriculture.

Qu Dongyu remarked that Nanjing, a city renowned for its scientific and educational resources and agricultural prowess, has extensive exchanges and broad collaborative potential with the FAO. He affirmed that the FAO will leverage its platform and network advantages to help Nanjing connect with more international resources, share agricultural development experiences, and jointly safeguard global food security, striving to realize the vision of “better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.”

During their stay in Nanjing, the delegation visited Nanjing Agricultural University, where they toured the university’s history museum and a special exhibition titled “FAO and NJAU,” and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the FAO and the university. At the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, they inspected a smart agriculture pilot base, a germplasm resource bank, and a food quality and safety laboratory, and signed a new round of cooperation agreement. The delegation also visited the Husou High-Quality Rice Processing Center, the high-yield wheat demonstration zone, and a chrysanthemum germplasm resource bank in Shangqiao Community, Jiangning District’s Husou Subdistrict, for detailed insights into Nanjing’s achievements in developing urban modern agriculture.

Principal officials from Nanjing Agricultural University, the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and relevant municipal departments participated in the activities.