Zhang Dequan, director of the Institute of Urban Agriculture (IUA) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and secretary of the CPC IUA Committee, led a delegation to visit Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) on Sept 28.
They conducted research on technological innovation and graduate education at HZAU.
Yan Jianbing, deputy secretary of the CPC HZAU Committee and president of the university, and Yao Jianglin, vice-president of the university, welcomed the delegation.
Yan provided an overview of the university's development in areas such as history, talent cultivation, discipline construction, scientific innovation, social services, party building, ideological education, and cultural development.
He proposed advancing research and talent development cooperation in the fields of smart agriculture and urban agriculture to address significant scientific issues related to cities, food, resources and human health.
Zhang expressed gratitude for the university's support over the years and introduced the IUA's structure, research directions, talent cultivation, and vision. He expressed a desire to learn from the university's practices and innovative initiatives to strengthen the forefront exploration and application of research achievements of urban agriculture, aiming to build IUA into the world's largest and most influential urban agriculture research institute.
Following the meeting, the delegation paid a visit to Academician Zhang Xianlong, toured the Fourth Comprehensive Building and the Animal Hospital.