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AFC together with its partner, DLG International, is implementing the project “Joint German-Chinese Demonstration Farm Ganhe” in Inner Mongolia. The project, which is financed under the bilateral cooperation programme by the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is now running in its 6th and final year.
On the 9th of July, the final meeting of the project Steering Committee took place in Ganhe. All Chinese and German project partners were given the opportunity to look back and report on their impressions and experience with the project. The general feed-back from all partners was that the project has achieved a lot under sometimes difficult circumstances. Especially it could demonstrate that sustainable agriculture and higher yields can be achieved with modern and adapted plant cultivation and management systems while, at the same time, conserving natural resources. The training and qualification component of the project was also considered a great success.
Following the Steering Committee meeting, an opening ceremony for the field day took place in Dayangshu. The management of the Ganhe State Farm and the Dayangshu Holding had taken great efforts to prepare the ceremony, including a dinner and an interesting cultural programme.
On the 10th of July, after intensive preparation by our team leader, Horst Bunge, and his two local experts on plant production and agricultural machinery, Gao Bo and Jin Weijun, the team expected more than 200 registered guests, including representatives from the German and Chinese Ministries of Agriculture from Beijing and Berlin for the final field day of the project.
The programme for the field day, which was prepared in close consultation with German and Chinese experts and companies, included the presentation of variety trials for maize, soybeans, potatoes and rape, plant protection strategies in maize, soybeans and potatoes, drilling systems and seeding rates in soybeans and wheat as well as some practical demonstrations in form of a soil profile, the demonstration of soil protection and diesel efficiency on the field and the use of a mini helicopter / drone for combating corn borer and leaf diseases.
However, due to unfavorable weather conditions during the week before the field day, it was impossible to show demonstrations on the field. Although very frustrating for the team, which had put great efforts into organizing this field day, a plan B was quickly established and activities were shifted from the field to the machinery center, where fortunately only recently a big new hall for the machines had been built by the Ganhe state farm.
The visitors were divided into two groups and were then alternating invited to follow outdoor presentations of the German machinery with explanations on their use in the field or listen to presentations on soils and plant production issues inside the hall. Both offers were well received by the visitors and raised a lot of interest. Despite the fact, that demonstrations were more of a theoretical nature, the team received a lot of positive feed-back from the guests.
Upon request from the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing, the project team leader, Mr. Bunge, held a one day seminar on sustainable plant production for Ministry experts from various departments on the 11th of July.
The last big event of the project will be the participation in the CIAME, China’s biggest international agricultural machinery fair from 28th to 30th of October 2014. During this fair the final press conference with presentation of results and experience from 6 years project implementation will take place.
For further information on the project please visit the project website www.ganhedemofarm.cn
or contact Mr. Horst Bunge bunge-afc [at] dlg.org.cnor tesa.weiss [at] afci.de