China’s Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and ICIMOD partner to advance mountain agriculture

Kathmandu: China’s Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS), based in Kunming, signed a long-term partnership with Kathmandu-headquartered ICIMOD on Thursday. The partnership seeks to leverage the rapid advancements China has made in agricultural sciences in the mountains and transfer applicable technologies across the wider Hindu Kush Himalaya region.

Cross-regional cooperation in agricultural technology and innovation is crucial for addressing global food security and sustainable development challenges.

A delegation from YAAS visited ICIMOD’s climate-resilient agriculture demonstration and innovation site, the Living Mountain Lab (LML), located in Godavari—a lush green area of hills and forests just 17km to the south Kathmandu to mark the signing of the memorandum of understanding, examining technologies and approaches that are prototyped, tested and demonstrated at the site, in a landscape boasting a rich array of biodiversity.

During the signing, Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, highlighted the importance of this collaborative action “The signing of the MoU today marks a significant milestone in our journey together, reflecting our shared vision and commitment to advancing agricultural research, fostering innovation, and promoting sustainable development in the mountain regions,” he said. “Through the MoU, we will focus on promoting cooperation in mountain agricultural research, agricultural technology exchange, knowledge and technology dissemination, project application, and capacity building”, said Li Xiaolin, Vice President of YAAS. “I firmly believe that today’s mutual commitment will write a new chapter in the cooperation of mountain agricultural science and technology. It will provide technical support for the region’s climate resilience, and promote scientific and technological innovation and sustainable development, to facilitate bringing the bilateral scientific capabilities to a new level.”

The MoU initiates a 10-year framework for collaboration in research and innovation in mountain agriculture, including the exchange of agricultural technologies, participation in research programs, and capacity-building initiatives.

ICIMOD, a leading international research and development center, works in and for the eight countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. YAAS is a non-profit institution with the mission to improve food security, food safety, increase farmers’ income, enhance sustainable and efficient development through crop genetic improvement, technology generation, capacity building, policy support and partnership in Yunnan Province, China.