China-Kazakhstan science and technology cooperation in the agriculture sector has made steady progress
In order to coordinate with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and make active efforts to promote the science and technology cooperation and exchanges in the agricultural sector between China and Central Asian countries, on November 9th, Xinhua Net published an article both in Chinese and English with the title of “China, Central Asian countries promote agricultural cooperation”, reporting on the highlights of agricultural cooperation between China and Central Asian countries, and the cooperation in agricultural science and technology between the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (hereinafter referred to as the RCEECA) and Kazakhstan.
Since its establishment in 2013, the RCEECA has been actively responding to local demands and continuously promoting the implementation tests, demonstrations and promotion of ecological restoration technology and modern agricultural technology while strengthening platform building, cooperative research and talent training. The RCEECA has jointly built the Akdala Saline-alkali Land Improvement Test Demonstration Zone with Kazakh Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Zangiota Agricultural Water-saving Test Demonstration Zone with Institute of Genetics, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, the Qurghonteppa Cotton High-yield Technology Test Demonstration Area and the UAV Technology Application Research Center with Tajikistan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Tajikistan Academy of Sciences respectively, the Facility Agriculture Test Demonstration Area and the Rural Drinking Water Security Technology Test Demonstration Project with Kyrgyzstan Academy of Sciences and Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Construction, Housing and Public Utilities respectively. The above remarkable test demonstration results have been highly affirmed by the host governments.
Especially in the Akdala Saline-alkali Land Improvement Test Demonstration Zone in Kazakhstan, the RCEECA Almaty Branch and Kazakhstan Soil and Agrochemical Research Institute have carried out the tests and promotion of submembrane drip irrigation technology applied on rice fields for years in a row, which can reduce soil salinity, remove weeds, and increase yields while saving nearly 50% water, with 80 percent of the films used in the test of biodegradable mulch films found to be dissolved within a year.
In September 2019, the China-Kazakhstan Agricultural Big Data Analysis Center was jointly built by the RCEECA and Saken Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical University. The two sides are now actively promoting the research and development of big data monitoring and service platform of smart agriculture in Kazakhstan, and using technologies of the Internet of Things, remote sensing and cloud computing to monitor, guide and trace the growing process of plants in a modern, scientific and accurate manner so as to serve China-Kazakhstan agricultural cooperation and trade contacts.