Scientists and officials told a Beijing seminar yesterday that the
future of worldwide sustainable growth lies in successfully linking
environmental, economic and social needs.
Participants in the five-day International Workshop on Sustainable
Agriculture in China, which started in Beijing yesterday, praised
Sino-German environmental research projects over the past five
years.
The leading project, Sustainable Agriculture with High Productivity
in the North China Plain, is regarded as a successful example of
practically applying research findings and involving a wide range
of people in the drive for sustainable development, said Andrea
Kramp, director of Project Management Organization at the German
Ministry for Education and Research.
"Chinese farmers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and politicians
have been working hand in hand with scientists from both countries
over the past few years to provide options for sustainable land-use
management in North China," Kramp said.
With the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization and the German Ministry for Education and
Research, the 3 million euro (US$3.27 million) project was jointly
launched by China Agricultural University and the German-based
University of Hohenheim in November 1998.
The project has yielded good results in the 8-million-hectare North
China Plain, one of the major agricultural production zones in
China, said Sun Qixin, vice-president of China Agricultural
University.
The project's irrigation strategies have saved 10 to 20 percent of
irrigation water, compared to conventional irrigation practices.
Nitrogen-balance models for crop and vegetable farming have saved
20 percent of nitrogenous fertilizer, Sun said.
China's Ministry of Education and the German Ministry for Education
and Research are considering new agricultural projects for the next
five years, which will focus on agricultural product safety,
according to Sun.
(China Daily March 18, 2003)