Recently, the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) successfully hosted the training program on China-Serbia Joint Center for Poverty Alleviation through Functional Plant Science and Technology, organized by the China Rural Technology Development Center. The event aimed to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Serbia on deepening cooperation in technology-driven poverty alleviation, share China’s advanced technologies and proven experience in the development of functional plants and poverty alleviation through industrial development, promote better application of scientific and technological achievements to improve people’s livelihoods, and contribute China’s wisdom and solutions to global poverty reduction.

The training brought together 10 participants from seven institutions, including the University of Belgrade and the Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, Belgrade and some others. At the opening ceremony, Ge Yiqiang, Chief Engineer of the China Rural Technology Development Center; Liu Wende, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation of CAAS; and Kou Zhanying, Party Secretary of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of CAAS, attended and delivered speeches. They all expressed the hope that this training would serve as an opportunity to further deepen practical cooperation between China and Serbia in the development and industrialization of functional plants, promote China’s mature experience and technologies to benefit more friendly countries, and jointly contribute scientific and technological strength to building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.

During the training, participants in Beijing systematically learned about China’s advanced technologies and successful experience in the cultivation, deep processing, and industrial development of functional plants such as tree peonies and herbaceous peonies through thematic lectures, exchanges, and discussions. During their stay in Heze, Shandong Province, participants attended lectures by experts including Tao Fuzhan, Director of the Heze Peony Development Service Center. They also conducted field visits to local peony industrial parks and rural revitalization demonstration bases, and had face-to-face exchanges with grassroots managers, enterprise leaders, and agricultural growers, gaining a direct understanding of China’s practical achievements in technology-driven poverty alleviation. Through this training, the participants truly experienced the vitality that technological innovation brings to the industrialization of functional plants, and expressed that China’s experience in technology-driven poverty alleviation offers valuable reference for promoting rural development in Serbia.

In recent years, the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of CAAS has actively implemented the diplomatic outcomes achieved by the heads of state of China and Serbia. On the basis of successfully completing the national key R&D project “Resource protection and efficiency utilization of the endangered functional plants originated in China and Serbia”, the Institute has jointly undertaken the “China-Serbia Joint Center for Poverty Alleviation through Functional Plant Science and Technology” project with the China Rural Technology Development Center. This training constitutes an important part of this technology assistance project, effectively enhancing the professional competence and practical skills of Serbian participants in the field of functional plant development, and further deepening both sides’ understanding of the cooperation model for technology-driven poverty alleviation. The training also received technical and expert support from platforms including the State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding and the National Technical System for Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials. Moving forward, China and Serbia will bring together more scientific and technological resources, continue to make practical efforts in agricultural science and technology cooperation, consolidate cooperation outcomes, and contribute scientific and technological strength to building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.