Sustainable agriculture in focus at Hainan forum

The 2025 GSSA Forum, themed "Sustainable Agriculture for All," concluded in Haikou, Hainan province, in China earlier this month. The forum brought together about 150 attendees, including representatives from international organizations and officials from over 10 countries and regions, alongside agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, and farmers from China and abroad. Discussions centered on global food security, agricultural ESG (environmental, social and governance) practices, high-tech applications in agriculture, and industry investment.

The forum aimed to build a practical platform for global sustainable agriculture and support Hainan Free Trade Port's role in international cooperation, according to Sun Xi, founder and secretary-general of the GSSA Forum.

Hosted at the China Institute for Reform and Development International Center for Academic Exchanges, the opening ceremony was chaired by CIRD Executive President Miao Shubin.

During the main forum, representatives from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and several ambassadors to China and Singapore shared insights on agricultural cooperation and policy. In thematic sessions, scholars outlined multidimensional paths for sustainable agricultural development.

Former UN under-secretary-general Noeleen Heyzer emphasized the global need for sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, empowering small-scale and women farmers, leveraging technology for efficiency, and creating fair, resilient food markets with changed consumption patterns.

CIRD President Chi Fulin noted that promoting urban-rural integration is fundamental to addressing China's agriculture, rural areas, and farmer issues. He recommended increasing farmers' property income, advancing agricultural modernization through industrial integration, and improving rural public services. For Hainan province, he suggested enhancing land use value, partnering with Guangdong province to establish an ASEAN-oriented tropical agricultural product base, and developing a "Maritime Hainan" as a key China-ASEAN marine economy hub.

Former Indonesian minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri called for achieving food security and ecological protection through climate-smart agriculture and resilient market systems.

The forum launched the "GSA (global sustainable agriculture) Ecosystem", comprising five platforms - forum, club, academy, fund, and alliance - to provide comprehensive support for sustainable agriculture. It announced the 2026 forum will be held in April in Hefei, Anhui province, alongside the International Rural Development Innovation Expo. The event also featured farmer dialogue sessions and four roundtable discussions.

On Dec 6, some participants visited the Huayang Ocean Research Center and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies for exchanges on ocean governance and the blue economy.