On May 22, the 2026 Silk Road International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research, and Application was held in Xi’an alongside related educational cooperation and exchange activities. At the conference, NWAFU showcased several achievements in agricultural cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The conference, themed “Digital & Intelligent Education Empowering the Silk Road,” focused on leveraging synergies among education, science and technology, and talent to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. It brought together representatives from universities, research institutions and businesses in China and abroad, providing an international platform for closer integration of industry, education, research and application. During a key project-signing session, NWAFU Vice President Zhang Hongming, on behalf of the university, signed the Cooperation Agreement on a China-Uzbekistan Overseas Talent Development Base Integrating Industry and Education in Plant Protection with Tashkent State Agrarian University of Uzbekistan. Responding to needs in Uzbekistan and Central Asia for agricultural pest and disease control and green agricultural development, the base will draw on NWAFU’s strengths in plant protection to jointly train talent, develop key technologies, and facilitate the application and wider dissemination of research outcomes. These efforts will help improve agricultural quality and efficiency in Central Asia and strengthen regional food security.

During the conference, NWAFU also set up a dedicated exhibition area featuring themed display panels, physical exhibits and brochures showcasing key achievements in the development of agricultural demonstration bases under the SCO framework. These included the China-Uzbekistan Fruit Tree Improved-Variety Breeding Technology Demonstration Park and the Sino-Belarusian Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park. The exhibition attracted Chinese and international guests, who stopped to view the displays and exchange ideas.

In recent years, building on its strengths in agriculture suited to the arid regions of northwest China, NWAFU has further expanded its engagement in agricultural education, science and technology cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Its ongoing initiatives include the Sino-Kyrgyz Fruit Tree Seed-Breeding Technology Demonstration Park, the China-Uzbekistan Fruit Tree Improved-Variety Breeding Technology Demonstration Park, wheat breeding at the Sino-Belarusian Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park, and cooperation with Kazakhstan on saline-alkali land management.Together, these efforts have helped establish a multi-tiered, broad-based framework for agricultural education, science and technology cooperation in Central Asia, further raising NWAFU’s international profile.

Translated by: Tian Yiyun

Proofread by: Yan Xianhui