Yunnan University's rice tech included in African Union framework

Yunnan University's perennial rice technology has been incorporated into the African Union Agricultural Technology Extension Framework and included in the African Union's 2024-5 Seed and Biotechnology Plan.

The big news was announced at the recent fifth ministerial meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Rural Economy and Agricultural Matters of the African Union.

In recent years, the perennial rice research team at the Yunnan University's School of Agriculture collaborated with Chinese enterprises to conduct large-scale perennial rice trials in collaboration with local institutions in Uganda, Madagascar, Burundi, and Malawi. Simultaneously, they have been expanding their commercialization efforts.

Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation and other mainstream African media outlets have extensively covered and highly praised the university's perennial rice technology. They recognize its potential to contribute to food security and agricultural modernization in Africa.

Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, a mainstream African media outlet, reports on Yunnan University's perennial rice technology. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Reports indicate that China, as a major food-producing country, has been consistently sharing its experiences and practical agricultural technologies with African nations. Thanks to the continuous progress of the "Belt and Road Initiative", the inclusion of perennial rice in the African Union Agricultural Technology Extension Framework provides an opportunity to promote large-scale, high-yield rice cultivation, which will ultimately contribute to food security in Africa.

The perennial rice research team at Yunnan University, after more than 20 years of dedicated research, has innovatively bred perennial rice varieties. Compared to traditional rice breeds, this approach can reduce production costs by over 30 percent.