Sowing expertise to reap food security

Currently, Huazhong Agricultural University has made noteworthy strides in research fields including hybrid rapeseed, organic rice, high-quality pig breeds, and animal vaccines. These achievements have played a significant role in safeguarding China's national food security.

For instance, the Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, initiated by the university, is an amalgamation of six national key laboratories, five innovation research groups supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and eight distinguished academicians.

The laboratory has been actively collaborating with domestic and international research institutions to address pivotal technologies in artificial breeding, in service of national strategic demands.

Li also highlights that it's crucial for researchers in agricultural technology to have a strong connection with local communities.

During his internship in the senior year of university, he lived with a farming family in Hebei province for three months, helping them harvest wheat and conducting experiments and research in their test fields.

"This experience was precious to me, and I still maintain a close relationship with them today, almost like my own family," he says. "I believe that, for us, it is only through such connections with farmers that we can be motivated and inspired to work passionately."

Through technological innovation, the farming family gradually built up a large-scale cotton-planting enterprise.

Huazhong Agricultural University has also been pioneering an approach that involves merging the cultivation of talent and scientific research for the betterment of agriculture, rural areas and farmers.