Shijiazhuang, April 13 2017- UNEP-IEMP delegation led by Dr. Monika Macdevette, Officer-in-Charge, UNEP-IEMP and Deputy Director, Ecosystems Division, United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) paid a visit to the Luancheng Agro-Ecosystem Experimental Station recently.
Prof Yanjun Shen, Head of the Station and Professor of the Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology provided a brief overview about the Station’s inception, achievements and international collaboration activities.
Established in 1981, the Luancheng station is a field station of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), which is a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and one of the largest national ecosystem monitoring and research network in the world. It serves as a demonstration base for modern agricultural technologies in the Hebei province. In 2005, the station became a member of the China National Ecosystem Observation and Research Network（CNERN).
The research conducted at the station focus on the long-term investigations of farmland ecosystem, water and nutrients transfer and regulation mechanisms, modern water-saving technologies, molecular breeding, precision agriculture and regional sustainable agro-ecosystem demonstration models etc.
Prof Yanjun Shen said “The new challenges that the farmers are facing – whether derived from climatic or other conditions – force them to adapt the strategies of their cropping systems. We advise the farmers to understand the crop plantation cycle to enhance their yields. We also provide trainings to African countries to sensitize them on such issues. The experts here also lend policy advice to the provincial and Central Government through the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”
Praising the efforts, Dr. Monika Macdevette said that the CERN research shows both influence at the community level and as well as designing research projects.
She further added, “The station is showcasing concrete action on ground where experts guide local farmers to better adapt to the increasingly variable weather by planning their crop yields. Such activities truly reflect that science is real and helps in effective decision making which is relevant, targeted and successful.”
Until date, the station has collaborated and communicated with international partners from more than 20 countries and nearly 30 research institutions.
