An organic agriculture experimental field in Yunnan province. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By ZHAO Hanbin & ZHONG Jianli

Dubbed as the kingdom of plants and animals, southwest China's Yunnan province has special advantages in producing rice, tea, flowers and fruits, as well as cattle and pigs. In recent years, the province has focused on developing organic agriculture to create green food brands, which has yielded good results.

In order to further upgrade its organic agriculture industry, the province's science and technology department recently launched a major project named "Research and Application of Technologies for Plateau Organic Agriculture in Yunnan."

With its rich biodiversity, Yunnan has natural advantages to develop organic agriculture. Its organic product certifications rank among the top in China. However, the industry still faces challenges, such as an incomplete industrial chain and demand for more technological innovation.

"The development of the organic agriculture industry in Yunnan is in a critical period of upgrading, and it is vital to advance the industry's development through sci-tech innovation and application. The launch of the project will play a significant role in promoting the high-quality development of organic agriculture with Yunnan characteristics," said Li Jia, director of the rural division of Yunnan Province Science and Technology Department.

The project will be aimed at building the leading organic agricultural production bases in Yunnan, systematically studying the environment and ecological factors affecting plateau organic agricultural products, and establishing a suitable layout for organic agriculture.

Project members will also set standards for key quality indexes of plateau-featured organic products, and establish the organic product traceability system.

Moreover, the ecological and carbon offsetting effects of plateau organic agriculture will be evaluated, to help build the area into an internationally recognized sci-tech demonstration zone for plateau organic agriculture.

To evaluate the carbon neutral contribution, the project will use field monitoring, field investigation, GIS and a variety of other methods and models, to conduct analysis and research on the whole life cycle of representative organic products in Yunnan, including tea, vegetables, and fruit.

"The implementation of the project will scientifically quantify the carbon neutral effects of plateau organic agriculture in Yunnan, and provide scientific support for highlighting its unique ecological benefits," said Li.

This project is jointly organized by Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAC) and China Agricultural University, and will be implemented by YAAC's Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment and Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology, as well as other relevant institutes and enterprises.