🌍👩🔬👨🔬 African scientists from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Gambia, and Cameroon recently visited China to learn about a special kind of rice! 🍚🌾
From May 15 to May 28, these 30 agricultural experts participated in the Seminar on Perennial Rice Technology in China. The seminar was hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce and organized by BGI Group, a leading life science and genomics company.
So, what’s perennial rice? 🤔 Well, most rice plants are annuals, meaning farmers have to plant them every year. But perennial rice keeps growing back year after year from just one planting! That means less work for farmers and more food for everyone. 🌱➡️🌾🌾🌾
“I came with an empty bag, but I’m going back with a full bag of information and knowledge,” said Mr. Willis Abwao Adero, a senior research scientist from Kenya. 🇰🇪
“We learned a lot, not only about rice but also about how to manage the whole cycle of perennial rice production,” said Mr. Allo Amen Dido from Ethiopia. 🇪🇹
Each country made plans to use what they learned back home:
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria wants to improve planting methods to help farmers grow more food.
- 🇪🇹 Ethiopia is thinking about mixing wild rice genes to grow rice in high places.
- 🇰🇪 Kenya plans to try out the new rice with their farmers.
- 🇪🇬 Egypt needs rice that can grow in salty soils.
All the scientists agreed that working together with China will help their countries grow more food. 🍽️🤝
This year is special because it’s the 25th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). That means China and African countries have been partners for 25 years! 🎉 As Ms. Mao Ning, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, said, China and Africa are closer than ever.
By sharing knowledge about things like perennial rice, China and Africa are helping to make the world a better place. 🌟 The BGI Group says it will keep working with African countries to share new ideas about farming. 🌿🌍
Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we work together? 😊
Reference(s):
African delegates finish training on perennial rice in China
cgtn.com
