AgroPages-Corteva Agriscience signs MoU with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to further agricultural technology innovation-Agricultural news

Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), outlining principles for collaboration in areas including partnership in technology development, advancing best applications in the field, elevating agronomy skills and building a model for sustainable development in rural areas.

Upon signing the MOU, James Collins, CEO of Corteva Agriscience™, said, “Increasing the scope of the Corteva Agriscience™ partnership with CAAS is a win-win for the development of agricultural technology and skill development in China. We are committed to enriching farmers’ lives and progressing the ag-industry in China, the expansion of the CAAS-Corteva partnership is a part of our efforts to bring our commitment to life.”

Signing on behalf of CAAS, vice President Wang Hanzhong echoed Mr. Collins’ sentiment and said, “It is our hope that we can share the journey toward increasing the sustainability of talent development and technological innovation in the fields of agriculture.”

The scope of the MoU outlines five key areas for partnership conceived to increase the well-being of farmers and support China’s agriculture upgrade:

1.	Seed trait development – leveraging the resources and expertise of both parties in product development, featuring the Corteva Agriscience™ leading bio-genetic technologies, to develop innovative and sustainable solutions with greater quality and accuracy and with more efficiency.
2.	Rice resistant weed and insect management – developing an integrated management approach targeting signature weeds and insects’ native to areas of rice cultivation within China to empower rice farmers with the right knowledge, effective tools and advanced technologies.
3.	Corn insect control – exploring effective insect control methods targeting above/below ground insects in summer corn areas along the Yellow River and Huai River Basin and other recent pest-outbreaks in specific regions such as the devastating fall armyworm pest, to help farmers properly address issues and secure harvests.
4.	Public education – collaborating together to target misinformation on agricultural technologies through educational events focused on biotech and the safe use of agricultural chemicals, contributing to a healthier public environment for new technology advancements in agriculture.
5.	Skills development – offering diversified approaches to skills development including scholarships, lectures and training to help build the next generation of agriculture professionals, farmers and support China’s national agenda on agriculture and rural development.

The Corteva Agriscience™ legacy companies of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Crop Protection and DuPont Pioneer, have worked hand in hand with CAAS since 2006, with DuPont Pioneer first signing an MOU with them in 2012 on Agricultural Basic and Application Technology. The two parties have since cooperated on farmer training programs, scholarships for graduate students, establishing a Rice EXZACT™ Precision Genome Editing Technology Platform for China and most recently in 2016, resistant weed management for sustainable rice farming project, which entered its second phase in 2019.

As a pure-play agriculture company, Corteva Agriscience™ delivers global leading solutions for seeds, crop protection and digital services. Today in China, Corteva Agriscience™ has around 1,000 employees in 28 provinces, operates two joint ventures, three offices (Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei), six production and manufacturing facilities and 19 research facilities. Through the power of data, and an understanding of China’s high level of digital literacy, Corteva Agriscience™ is educating growers in sustainable and efficient growing practices, putting farmers and consumers at the heart of all their operations, growing progress and ensuring success for generations to come.