From December 2 to December 6, 2024, the "International Training Program on Edible Fungi Cultivation Technology and Sustainable Agriculture" was successfully held in Gutian County, Ningde City, Fujian Province. This training program was hosted by the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC), and the Promotion Center for Edible Fungi Cultivation, Fujian Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. It was co-hosted by Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs of CPPCC Ningde Municipal Committee, and organized by Edible Fungi Industry Development Center of Gutian County Government. At the opening ceremony, Wu Zhong, Director-General of FCSSC, delivered an opening speech, and Liu Qianqian, Deputy Director-General, attended the ceremony.
In his opening remarks, Director-General Wu Zhong emphasized that FCSSC serves as a comprehensive international platform dedicated to knowledge and experience sharing, production capacity cooperation, and financial services for developing countries. This training program focuses on experience sharing, aiming to build capacity in sustainable agriculture for participants from developing countries. During the opening ceremony, the International Training Center for Edible Fungi Cultivation was officially unveiled.
Centered on "Edible Fungi Cultivation Technology and Its Applications in Developing Countries", this program aims to enhance developing countries’ capabilities and facilitate the formulation of related policy and solutions on sustainable agriculture through sharing knowledge and experience on edible fungi cultivation technology and its application. It will contribute to the poverty reduction, local employment and community development, especially for women and other vulnerable groups. Meanwhile, this training program will help developing countries find out adaptation and mitigation measures for agriculture to better respond to climate change, and therefore facilitate the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The training included lectures, field visits, workshops, participating in international forum and experience sharing seminars and so on. It attracted 23 participants from 14 countries in the Global South, most of whom were from national agricultural departments, research institutions, and universities. Representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP) headquarters in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in Bangladesh, and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Myanmar also participated. The instructors included Li Su, Deputy Director of the Edible Fungi Industry Development Center of Gutian County; Sun Shujing, Vice Dean of the College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU); Director of Fungi Industry Research Institute, FAFU (Gutian); Xu Jianchu, Distinguished Researcher at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Xiaolin, Executive Dean of the Institute for Six Sector Economy, Fudan University; and Tan Qi, Vice President of the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Chief Scientist of the National Edible Fungi Industry Technology System. Through both in-class learning and discussions, participants gained a deeper understanding of edible fungi cultivation technology and its extensive applications in China, as well as its potential to empower social and economic development.
In addition to lectures, all participants actively engaged in the first Tremella Industry Development Conference held in Gutian County. They also conducted field research at various edible fungi production enterprises, research institutes, and sales units within the county, as well as at renown companies located in Ningde City, including Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), SAIC Motor Corporation Limited and Alpha Biotechnology.
This international training program serves as a key project for FCSSC in building and expanding partnerships in the field of sustainable agriculture. It is expected to be held annually the International Training Center for Edible Fungi Cultivation base in Gutian County, Fujian, with the aim of establishing a long-term exchange mechanism to continuously promote experience sharing and practical cooperation in fungi technology and industry among developing countries and regions globally.
