In March, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Chinese Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Yuming Chen witnessed the signings of two memoranda of understanding with representatives from the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science and the Nanjing Agricultural University.
It coincides with the University of Sydney and the federal government jointly investing more than $20 million for a purpose-built facility, the Centre for Carbon, Water and Food – a multidisciplinary research centre dedicated to tackling the nation’s and region’s biggest food security and environmental challenges through the integrated study of carbon, food and water.
The first memorandum of understanding between the University of Sydney and the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science will see a Sino-Australia Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems established and housed at the centre with a mirror facility in Beijing.
The second MoU, between the University of Sydney and Nanjing Agricultural University will see a Sino-Australian Laboratory for Food Security established and housed at the Centre with a mirror facility in Nanjing.
These new agreements will enable joint research in areas such as crop protection, food and soil security and the mitigation of climate-change effects on agricultural eco-systems, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The bilateral effort will include research projects for external agencies such as the World Bank and Gates Foundation, creating further international benefit from the collaboration.
“These agreements are the culmination of several decades of collaboration already undertaken between University of Sydney researchers and Chinese colleagues from a multitude of institutions,” said Professor Mark Adams, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment and Head of the Centre for Carbon, Water and Food.
Professor Adams said Australia and China face many of the same challenges in food security.
“We both face the same problems with respect to water, soil, pests and disease,” he said.
The centre will allow both countries to compare research approaches and collaborate on research in mutual areas of concern. More than 100 PhD graduates are expected to work with the centre, to produce technologies that increase production while improving efficient resource usage, and to create new knowledge in key fields underpinning food security including research on water, greenhouse gases, biodiversity, and plant and animal breeding. ■
*Pictured top: Dr Michael Spence, Vice-Chancellor University of Sydney, Professor Ding Yangfeng, Vice President and Professor of Crop Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University.
