News & Events

On October 10, Beijing University of Agriculture (BUA) hosted a forum on the development of horticultural disciplines at agricultural universities across China. Duan Liusheng, deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of BUA and president of the University, attended the forum and delivered remarks. Academic leaders, heads of horticultural disciplines, and scholars from 16 agricultural universities nationwide gathered at BUA to discuss the role of horticulture in building China into a leading agricultural nation.

Duan noted that the forum was an important part of the academic events marking BUA's 70^th anniversary. It was both a concrete step by agricultural universities to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important statements on work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers and accelerate agricultural and rural modernization, and a practical initiative by BUA to respond to the evolving needs of Beijing's urban agriculture and promote the high-quality development of horticultural disciplines with distinctive urban characteristics. Rapid advances in interdisciplinary fields such as AI, synthetic biology, and gene editing have created new opportunities and challenges for horticultural disciplines. Duan expressed hope that the forum would provide an opportunity for agricultural universities to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, jointly advance the high-quality development of horticultural disciplines in the new era, and contribute horticultural expertise to China's efforts to become a leading agricultural nation.

Experts from universities across China delivered presentations at the forum. They included Professor Li Wei of the College of Horticulture at China Agricultural University; Professor Zhou Yanhong of the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology at Zhejiang University; Professor Chen Sumei of the College of Horticulture at Nanjing Agricultural University; Professor Guan Changfei of the College of Horticulture at Northwest A&F University; Professor Qin Sijun of the Horticultural College of Shenyang Agricultural University; Professor Wu Tao of the College of Horticulture at Hunan Agricultural University; Professor Gao Peng of the College of Horticulture at Northeast Agricultural University; Professor Liu Pu of the School of Horticulture at Anhui Agricultural University; Professor Hu Jianbin of the College of Horticulture at Henan Agricultural University; Professor Yang Zhongren of the College of Horticulture and Plant Protection at Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; and Professor Zhao Wenchao of BUA's College of Plant Science and Technology. Participants held in-depth discussions on the current landscape and priorities of horticultural disciplines, pathways to high-quality development, and the cultivation of top-tier talent in horticulture.

BUA will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with agricultural universities nationwide, align its efforts more closely with the evolving needs of Beijing's development, and further advance the high-quality development of horticultural disciplines with distinctive urban characteristics. The University will also enhance its capacity to support Beijing's development as a hub for the seed industry and a garden city, contributing its expertise to the city's comprehensive rural revitalization efforts and its goal of being among the first to basically achieve agricultural and rural modernization.