A joint initiative to link Chinese farmers with innovative technologies was launched yesterday in Beijing between the United Nations Development Programme in China, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and the China International Center For Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) under the Ministry of Commerce.
Entitled "Alleviating Rural Poverty through Innovative Technologies Transfer," the four-year project is designed to link farmers with innovative, environmentally-friendly technologies in order to increase their income and promote sustainable rural development.
"Integration, innovation and partnerships are the three key words I would use to characterize this project," said Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China. "The project is also very timely as it is closely connected to the Government's commitment to build the socialist new countryside by applying scientific development approaches."
With a total fund of US$8 million, the project will set up Technical Task Forces (TTFs) that will not only introduce better technologies to farmers but also innovative organizational methods for farmers to receive tailor-made technological services to increase their income.
Liu Yanhua, Vice Minister of the MOST, stressed that UNDP was the first international development organization that work with MOST to further develop and enhance TTFs. He added that since 2002, a total of 598 counties in 24 provinces currently pilot the new market-oriented mechanism by providing farmers with new technologies and skills for better livelihoods.
"Through this new initiative with UNDP, we hope to bring TTFs to a higher level by emphasizing balance between economic growth, social development and environmental protection to promote sustainable development in rural China," said Liu.
