Farmers working at the China-Philippines Agricultural Technology Center in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By TANG Zhexiao

The launch ceremony of the South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform was held in Beijing on April 15.

    The platform is jointly developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence, while the China Internet News Center is involved as its technical partner in operation.

    Through the platform, trainees can aquire knowledge and experience in four thematic areas, namely, value chain development for small holders, post-harvest loss management and food systems, disaster risk reduction and climate change resilience, innovation poverty alleviation initiative. Solutions for rice, juncao, and cassava value chain are also displayed on the web page.

    As an extension of the platform, a practical and comprehensive online learning center will be created through a cloud school. It enables trainees to learn about food security, poverty reduction, green development and rural transformation in China, showcasing practical skills and hands-on techniques for field practitioners via multilingual courses. Trainees will receive a certificate from the WFP after completing the courses and passing the online test.

    A memorandum of understanding to strengthen South-South cooperation was signed by WFP and the Chinese government during the launch ceremony.

    Focusing on sustainable development goals, the two sides will carry out the development and training of South-South cooperation knowledge, and share China's solutions, practices, experiences and approaches with other developing countries, according to the memorandum.

    Other activities such as a workshop on flood response, cloud dialogue on an innovative model for poverty reduction, and a seminar on cassava value chain development will be included in 2022 major events.

    The WFP -China partnership has been  developed  over  four  decades. China has become an increasingly important donor to the WPF since 2005. In 2016, the Chinese government and the WFP signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their cooperation to end global hunger, and jointly promote the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.