Young farmers from Ireland will soon have the chance to visit China on study-trips as part of a project jointly-funded by the EU and Chinese authorities.

As part of the project, young Chinese farmers and agriculture professionals will also be able to visit Ireland and other EU countries.

The project was jointly announced today by Commissioner Phil Hogan and Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China; it is aimed at capacity building for young, professional farmers and agricultural professionals.

Hogan hopes that this project will help to build upon the relationship between the EU and China, as well as facilitating ambitious young farmers.

“In both Europe and China – and indeed anywhere else in the world – we need to encourage the next generation of young farmers and rural entrepreneurs to create a food and farming sector fit for the 21st century.

I welcome this opportunity to strengthen the already positive and constructive relations between the EU and China in this area, which I saw during my visit there last year.

The project is expected to place a particular focus on sustainable farming techniques and environmental practices.

Through a series of study-tours the participants will have the chance to learn from each other’s experience in this area; this will then be translated into recommendations on sustainable farming to be shared with the wider farming and rural community, as well as with policy makers.

Recommendations drawn from the project will also be shared at a final conference, which is due to be organised in China at the end of 2018.

The exchange programme is part of the broader co-operation between the EU and China on agriculture and rural development, which began in 2012.

It’s hoped that the project will strengthen bilateral co-operation in the area of agriculture and rural development between the EU and China.

The Centre for International Cooperation Services of the Ministry of Agriculture will manage the project for China.

On the EU side, the project will be implemented through the Policy Support Facility of the EU’s Partnership Instrument, which is designed to promote the union’s strategic interests worldwide by reinforcing its external strategies, policies and actions.