The 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week (SGAW) marked a decade of successful collaboration between Germany and China in the agricultural and food sectors. Held from October 21 to 23 in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, the event attracted high-ranking government representatives from both nations. It featured three dedicated sessions focused on eco-friendly, science-driven agricultural solutions aimed at enhancing long-term food security and environmental health. Over 400 key stakeholders from business, research, advocacy, and farming participated, while an additional 17,000 viewers attended the conference online. The conference was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), with substantial organizational and funding support from Yancheng Municipal Government.
Opening addresses
Download conference program in Chinese and English.
In his opening address, LI Jinghui, a member of the CPC Leadership Group of MARA, reviewed the achievements of ten years of Sino-German agricultural cooperation. He noted that the partnership has advanced agricultural trade, facilitated scientific exchanges, and established cooperative mechanisms, significantly contributing to sustainable agricultural practices that enhance productivity while safeguarding natural resources.
Silvia Bender, State Secretary of BMEL, and Patricia Flor, the German Ambassador to China, opened the 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week with remarks focused on the importance of Sino-German cooperation to advance sustainable agriculture. They reiterated the commitment of both countries to collaboratively tackle the biodiversity and climate crises affecting global food systems. Jiangsu Vice Governor XIA Xinmin and WU Wei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Yancheng Municipal Committee, also addressed the audience.
Interview with BMEL State Secretary Silvia Bender at the 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week
Keynote speeches
Two keynote speeches focusing on agroecological approaches set the tone for the conference. Andrea Krähmer, Head of the Julius Kühn Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis, and Stored Product Protection, emphasized that agroecology should be adopted as a comprehensive approach rather than a supplementary tool. She advocated for diverse, multifunctional ecosystems and continuous vegetation cover to promote biodiversity, enhance soil health, and bolster smallholder resilience.
Academician SHEN Qirong from the Chinese Academy of Engineering stressed the urgent need to reduce chemical inputs to combat the rapid decline in soil fertility. He identified innovations in organic fertilizers and soil microbiology as crucial strategies for improving agricultural resilience and ecological sustainability, especially in the face of climate change and limited resources.
Session 1: Agroecology
Chaired by Jürgen Ritter, Managing Director of DCZ, the afternoon session on the opening day provided an in-depth discussion on Sino-German cooperation in agroecological practices. Six speakers approached the topic from various perspectives. The session began with an online contribution from Oliver Oliveros of the Agroecology Coalition, which aims to influence national and international policies to integrate agroecology into broader climate and biodiversity strategies. The Coalition, which includes 54 governments and 260 organizations, welcomed Germany as a member in 2023.
CHEN Fu of China Agricultural University elaborated on the transformation of agri-food systems in relation to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sharing examples from China that contribute to global climate change mitigation, food security, biodiversity protection, and improved livelihoods for farmers.
GAO Yong, Vice President of Bayer China, introduced Bayer’s “climate integrated business strategy,” detailing its strategic elements and 2030 sustainability targets.
Fabian Bloechl from the Brandenburg Farmers’ Association presented F.R.A.N.Z., a German project that promotes biodiversity through collaboration between environmentalists and farmers on ten demonstration farms in Germany. His insights into various agro-biodiversity measures at Kaim Farm enhanced the audience’s understanding of practical approaches to achieving sustainability goals.
GAO Xiang from Fudan University provided an additional perspective on “Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health,” while YAO Chunsheng from the FAO China office discussed the “Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE)” for measuring progress in adopting agroecological practices.
The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring Sebastian von Keyerslingk from BMEL, Andrea Krähmer from JKI, SUN Hongwu from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and representatives from the Sheyang Rice Group and the Guangdong Agricultural Foreign Economic and Farmer Cooperation Promotion Center. Moderated by Lena Kuhn, Senior Scientist at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transformation Economies (IAMO), and WANG Quanhui from the Rural Energy and Environment Agency (REEA) of MARA, the panel addressed technical opportunities and best practices in agroecology and sustainable farming, including AI and novel crop management approaches.
The panelists also discussed the challenges of scaling up smaller pilot projects and demonstration farms. While some case studies demonstrated potential economic benefits for farmers, the discussion highlighted the need for a participatory approach and targeted subsidy policies to accelerate the adoption of agroecology and sustainable farming practices.
Session 2: Animal health
The second session on animal health was co-organized by the Sino-German Cooperation Project on Animal Breeding and Husbandry and its Chinese implementation partner, the National Animal Husbandry Service (NAHS). Chaired by PAN Yulai, Director of the Animal Husbandry Division, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Jiangsu Provincial Animal Husbandry Station, the session focused on animal health and antimicrobial reduction in Germany and China, with practical insights on the project’s achievements in these areas.
The session opened with remarks from Dieter Goertz, representing the Division for International Cooperation and Twinning of the Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture. He highlighted the 14-year history of bilateral cooperation in animal breeding and husbandry, noting that the project has maintained a practical approach through demonstration farms and business partnerships, connecting these with scientific and institutional resources in both Germany and China.
Following Goertz, ZUO Lingling, Deputy Director of NAHS, emphasized the importance of demonstration farms and sustainable technical solutions for advancing Chinese animal husbandry.
The first speaker, Dieter Mischok, provided an overview of antibiotic monitoring in Germany, underscoring its critical role in ensuring responsible antibiotic use in animal husbandry. He also explained how this monitoring has contributed to a significant reduction in antibiotic use in Germany.
Paula Heine discussed the role of Fleckvieh cattle breeding in Germany, particularly in Bavaria, and highlighted how modern breeding techniques, especially secondary traits like udder and claw health, contribute to improved animal health and reduced medical interventions.
Ulrich Presuhn spoke about modern management practices in animal farms, particularly in pig farming. He explained how precise production management can help prevent disease and enhance livestock performance.
Jörg Oldenburg addressed whether antibiotic residues pose an environmental threat. Drawing on his experience as an environmental engineer, he shared examples from Germany and linked antibiotic use in animal husbandry to broader concerns, including human medicine, emphasizing the need for responsible antibiotic use to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
WANG Aiguo provided practical recommendations on improving sow fertility and overall animal health through effective health management strategies, including vaccinations and protective measures against external pathogens.
YUAN Quanshui reported on holistic approaches adopted by the “Yifa” pig demonstration farm, which aim to reduce antibiotic use while maintaining high health standards for livestock.
At the end of the session, three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with local authorities from Hebei, Henan, and Qingdao to establish innovation networks focused on cattle breeding, antibiotic-reduced pig production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing nutrient cycles. These networks are envisioned as bridges to the future, concentrating the knowledge, exchange, and connections fostered during the 14-year cooperation in animal breeding and husbandry.
Session 3: Agrobiodiversity
As an integral part of agroecology, the final session discussed various solutions to enhance crop diversity. The session brought together key experts from the Sino-German Agrobiodiversity Network—a one-year project implemented by the DCZ and funded by the Innovation and Transformation Dialogue (ITD) of BMEL. The session presented important results of the project, including a policy brief on strengthening on-farm conservation and the sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, as well as case studies from both Germany and China.
Following an opening address by Dieter Goertz from BMEL, Eva Sternfeld from the DCZ provided an introduction to the inception of the Sino-German Agrobiodiversity Network. Ronnie Vernooy from Bioversity International presented a comparative analysis of the policy frameworks for the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity in Germany and China. His presentation highlighted the need to better integrate ex-situ and on-farm conservation efforts by providing legal recognition and technical support for community seed banks. A policy brief, available for download from the DCZ website, summarizes these recommendations.
ZHANG Zongwen from the Institute of Crop Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) discussed the background and aims of the upcoming Third International Agrobiodiversity Congress, scheduled for April 2025 in Kunming, Yunnan Province. TAN Lingdi from the Shan Shui Conservation Center explained the crucial role of farmland in achieving the overall biodiversity goals set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was negotiated in 2022. She emphasized that by implementing eco-friendly farming practices, farmland can become more than just a source of food; it can also provide multifunctional ecosystem services and habitats for endangered species.
These presentations were followed by case studies from Germany and China. Arno Todt from nova-Institut presented several success stories from Germany, where rural communities successfully created value chains around traditional crops and ancient farm animal breeds. Meanwhile, WANG Ze’en from Foodthink showcased grassroots efforts, including the conservation of local crop varieties like “Red Bald Wheat” in Gansu, China, which have helped smallholder farmers increase their resilience to climate change. Both presentations focused on bottom-up approaches that can create tangible benefits for the local farmers and rural communities involved in the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity.
The session concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Michaela Boehme from the DCZ. In addition to the earlier speakers, the panel included contributions from GAO Shangbin from the Chinese Society of Agro-Ecological Environment Protection and SONG Xin from the Farmers’ Seed Network, who presented their work with larger farms and smallholder communities, respectively, in promoting plant genetic diversity in agriculture.
Field visits and side events
In addition to the key sessions, field visits offered participants valuable insights into the entire rice production value chain and the revitalization of rural areas through agro-tourism and cultural heritage promotion. The conference featured several important side events, including:
A business roundtable involving representatives from the Yancheng government and German agribusiness and food companies operating in China.
A Young Farmers’ Meeting that connected young professionals from Germany’s agriculture and food sector with the BMEL delegation and Chinese representatives to facilitate discussions on the sidelines of the conference.
Achievements
Several notable achievements from the event are highlighted below:
Attendance: With 400 guests attending in person and 17,000 online viewers, the 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week was one of the largest events organized by the DCZ to date.
Focus on agroecology: The guiding theme of agroecology underscored a growing emphasis within Sino-German cooperation on eco-friendly agricultural solutions that balance environmental health with long-term food security.
Central coordination role: By uniting key institutions and organizations involved in Sino-German agricultural cooperation, the DCZ reinforced its role as a vital communication and coordination platform for exchanges between Germany and China in agriculture and food. Notable institutions involved in organizing the 10th Sino-German Agricultural Week included:
- BMEL (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture)
- MARA (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)
- Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) of MARA
- Center of International Cooperation Services (CICOS)
- National Animal Husbandry Station (NAHS)
- Rural Energy and Environment Agency (REEA) — a key agency promoting eco-farms in China, which also receives project grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
- German Agricultural Society (DLG)
- Sino-German Cooperation Project for Sustainable Animal Breeding
Industry and NGO participation: Active involvement from industry organizations, such as the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) and the China Office of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), enhanced the event’s impact on bilateral exchanges. Additionally, NGOs like Shan Shui Conservation Center, Foodthink, and Farmers’ Seed Network contributed valuable perspectives from civil society and rural communities.