Some notes about Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, Food Processing:

scientific research, technology transfer and training.

1)  a summary of present collaboration activities between China and Italy (it is only a partial list, mainly of initiatives followed by this office), we should try to complete it little by little):

a) CNR-IBAF (Italian National Research Council, Institute of Agro-Forestry Biology, dr. Cannata), a project co-financed by the Zoucheng municipality (Shandong), CNR and italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to create an Agro-Food Laboratory on foods of plant origin, which will evaluate local resources and certify their quality, improve production and management and conservation, in particular to search for the presence of toxic compounds.

b) Collaboration between IAO (Institute of Overseas Agriculture) and Sichuan province on fruit viruses, with training for technicians. Another activity of IAO is to provide courses on GIS (Geographical Information Systems) applied to Agriculture.

c) A network of research on applications of Membranes (mainly to food processing) has been formed by the Membrane Technology Institute of CNR of Cosenza (Italy) (Prof. Drioli) with the China Membrane Industry Association and Weihai Municipality (Shandong). Several short courses on applications of membranes have been given, in Shandong and Jiangsu.).

d) The Shanxi Institute of Pomology (prof. Tian Jianbao) has a collaboration with a CNR institute in Caserta, and is planning some exchanges of researchers.

e) A laboratory of Milk Microbiology has been started in Zibo (Shandong) by the Deyi industry, with the collaboration of experts from Verona University (prof. Dellaglio)

d) An intensive 6-day course has taken place at Yunnan Agricultural University in June 2005 on Quality in Food Processing (HACCP), followed by 84 graduate students. Other similar courses could be organised in other parts of China.

e) A collaboration with CAF (China Academy of Forestry) is planning to study the fisiology of Nitraria Tangutorum, a plant that can be useful to combat desertification.

f) In November 2005, CAF and CNR have organised a 2-day seminar on sustainable production of wood:"Sustainable Forestry, Agroforestry, and wood technology".

g) Universities of Pisa, Torino and Parma in Italy, and the Graduate school of CAAS, the Qinghai Veterinary College and the Guangxi University have signed an agreement for a joint PhD.

h) Other initiatives in the Veterinary filed are: some scholarships for training in italian Veterinary Research Centres, a project between Italy, Vietnam and China on the reproductive phisiology of water buffaloes,  and contacts between the Spallanzani Institute in Milano and China Agricultural University.

k) Other initiatives for graduate students in Agriculture and Food Processing are from Torino University, and Camerino University.

l) The Region Piemonte, which has a twinning agreement with Sichuan province, has a project of reforestation in the Panzihua prefecture.

m) The italian Ministry of Environment has sponsored studies and exchanges of experts organised by the Agrinnova centre in Torino.

n) The italian organisation ISES (Italian senior expert service) sends consultant volunteers (in all fields, but particularly in Agriculture), invited by SAFEA or by local authorities.

o) It is interesting also to remark that some collaborations in the field of space technologies can have applications in the detection of problems of crops and forests from space. 

2) Links to some of the institutions involved in research in Agriculture, Food, Animal Husbandry:

Ministry of Agriculture

CRA (National Centre for Agricultural Research)
IZS  (Experimental Animal Husbandry Stations)
IAO  (Institute for Overseas Agriculture)
ISS (National Institute of Health)
Ministry of Health

3) Some remarks about some subjects of collaboration:

 (from visits to Shanxi, Shandong, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Hebei).

# A subject on which we have found interest in most places is the Quality Control in Food Processing. This is because chinese customers are becoming more aware of health hazards due to contaminated food, and because quality control has also become necessary for exporting food products.
In June 2005 a course in Food Hygiene and HACCP has been given in Yunnan Agricultural University by two professors of Parma University.  It has been suggested to have similar (and also some more advanced) courses in other parts of China.  We have found  some italian professors available for similar courses (Food Hygiene,  Qualiy Control and related matters).  It would be useful to identify some possible sponsors from the chinese side, at the central and provincial level.

#  some particular areas of interest seem to be milk and derivatives, and wine.

#  also to promote technology development partnerships in the field of small agricultural machinery

# several agriculture universities have expressed interest in exchanges of graduate students, in particular by co-financing theses of Master or Doctorate. Florence University is interested to send students to do master theses in Tropical Agriculture in Southern China.