PCD Sets Up Beijing Representative Office and Maintains Good Interaction with Government Departments

China Ecological Civilization Forum Huizhou Annual Conference was held on December 2-3, 2017 in the city of Huizhou in Guangdong Province. PCD was contracted to organize a panel discussion under the title, “Rural Revival, Ecological Agriculture”. 

The theme of the panel is the “revival of the rural area and the green development of agriculture”. Experts and scholars in the field of agriculture, environmental protection, forestry, ecology and related management department representatives who came from all over the country attended the panel.  Discussing issues such as implementation of rural revival strategies, traditional agricultural conservation, ecological agricultural skills, integrated management of rural environment and prevention of non-point pollution, process agriculture and zero growth of chemical fertiliser, panel participants consulted, diagnosed and offered suggestions and ideas on how to develop ecological agriculture and build an ecological civilisation in China.

Wen Tiejun, an expert in the three rural issues and a professor of Renmin University of China, provided the historical background of rural revival strategies. He thought that the rural revival strategies proposed in CCP’s 19th National Congress was in keeping with the earlier approach emphasising the three rural issues as a top priority and the idea of new rural reconstruction advocated in China since the beginning of 21st Century. He thought it was a major strategic change for our country. Prof. Wen explored the positive implications of the new strategy for China and the world from the perspective of the heterogeneity of global agriculture and its causes.

In terms of how rural revival strategies could be implemented, Ji Kunsen, former vice-chairman of Anhui Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee and director of Anhui Circular Economy Research Institute, said that developing large scale multi-functional agriculture was a very important aspect of rural revival strategies. It was also an indispensable and crucial means of implementing the strategies.
 
Lam Chikwong, chief representative of PCD’s Beijing Representative Office, reviewed the course of development of ecological agriculture and its outcome on behalf of the panel organiser. From 1980’s up till today, there have been many different types of ecological farming practices, such as rural community’s natural ecological farming focusing on self-sufficiency, organic ecological farming emphasising restoration of the ecology, rural homecoming in search of a farming lifestyle, and reconstruction of rural homes, etc. Many progressive experiences from abroad have also been introduced to China.

Farming is the life line of our nation. It integrates production, livelihood, ecology and life. Agriculture should not be seen as an industry only. Its other functions in terms of culture, education and ecology are now gradually being recognised and respected by more people. For example, international organic agricultural standards have upgraded from stage 2.0 to 3.0. Organic 3.0 has gone beyond the limitations of  the knowledge in the agricultural and food industry, and sees development from the perspective of the soil, animals and plants, human beings and the earth being an inseparable healthy wholeness. 
 
The manifestation of the multiple functions of agriculture requires the participation of a diverse community. In the past, each of the circles that people took part in had only one single identity, such as producers, consumers or educators. There are now changes in this form of participation. As a social organisation, the role and position of PCD is to raise people’s awareness to the multiple functions of agriculture, to support the practice of diverse groups, to build networks and platforms to promote urban-rural mutual support models, and to support community-based practice and actions. Lam said that the PCD’s Beijing Representative Office organised the panel to learn how to follow up on the rural revival strategies proposed by CPP’s 19th National Congress, to promote exchange and dialogue and to pursue genuine sustainable development of ecological agriculture through extensive collaboration in society emphasising diversity, traditions, innovations and mutual trust.

The conference was hold by China Ecological Civilisation Research and Promotion Association (CECRPA) under the guidance of MEE’s Department of Nature and Ecology Conservation and with the support of MEE’s South China Institute of Environmental Science. Provincial (district and city) leaders and experts, such as Zhang Jinan (former member of the Leading Party Members’ Group of the Ministry of Science and Technology and former vice-chairman of a special committee of CECRPA), Wu Guozeng (director of South China Institute of Environmental Science), and Wang Chunyi, (vice-president of CECRPA) took part in the panel.

During the Ecological Civilization Forum Huizhou Annual Conference, PCD held an exhibition at the venue of the panel to display PCD’s ideas of natural ecology and sustainable living, its concrete work strategies and outcomes in relation to the wisdoms of Nature, ecological farming and traditional culture. Some handmade products by PCD’s partners were also on display. Sustainable living practices such as grassroot communities who produce handmade soaps from used oil and cultivation of old varieties of glutinous rice by the Dong people of Guizhou aroused the interest of conference participants.

PCD displaying its ideas, work strategies and outcomes of sustainable living.

Buffalo hair glutinous rice from Long E Village in the Dong Minority Area, Guizhou