Graduate students spread knowledge of agriculture

The cradle of China's Science and Technology Backyard — a program under which university students can use their knowledge to help solve problems in agriculture in rural areas — was recently inaugurated in Quzhou county of Handan, Hebei province.

The Baizhai Science and Technology Backyard was founded by Beijing-based China Agricultural University in Quzhou in 2009. In the "backyard" — several rural style houses with a yard in Gaozhuang village of Baizhai town — professors and graduate students from the university have continued their research.

Working with farmers, they carry out research activities that center on technology transfer and enable small holders to achieve higher returns with better environmental stewardship, according to an article published in the journal Nature in 2016 by related professors and students.

Since the beginning of the program, the university has developed 139 Science and Technology Backyard projects in 24 provincial-level regions across the country, according to Xinhua News Agency.