Lecture series for students of Huazhong Agricultural University, China

13 July 2020 - Three researchers from China Research Group, Dr. Zhanli Sun, Dr. Lioudmila Chatalova, and Dr. Yanjun Ren, were recently invited to give lectures to faculty members and students from Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU). This is part of a series of lectures at Public Management Forum, organized by the Faculty of Public Management, HZAU. Each of these online lectures attracted more than 100 participants from all over China, even international researchers.

China Research Group has a vital platform for the cooperation between Chinese and German researcher in the field of agricultural economics. The group’s work has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. One example is the cooperation between IAMO and HZAU that was recently enhanced by a collaborative MoU signed in October 2019. As part of the academic exchange plan, three researchers from IAMO were invited to give lectures to the students and researchers in HZAU. Due to mobility restrictions, these lectures were held online. On June 18, Dr. Zhanli Sun gave a lecture entitled “An Introduction of Bayesian (Belief) Network & Applications in rural development, resource management and policy analysis”. He introduced the concepts of the Bayesian networks (BNs), advantages and limitations of BNs, and demonstrated applications using empirical studies in China, Argentina, and Russia. On July 2, Dr. Lioudmila Chatalova gave a talk on “Resource use strategies in a plant-based bioeconomy”, in which she clarified the concept of bioeconomy and presented an overview of European and German bioeconomy policies; finally, she illustrated the resource use strategies in the bioeconomy using the model of biological population dynamics as an example. On July 7, Dr. Yanjun Ren highlighted the importance of green certification in farmers’ welfare during the presentation of “Welfare effects of green certification adoption on rice farmers: Evidence from China”; using the case study in Sichuan Province, China. The study shows that green certification adoption has significant and positive effects on farmers’ economic, health and psychological circumstances. All three lectures were well received and stimulated further discussions and potential collaborations. The China group will continue to foster mutual exchanges in the future.