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SAC Advice For The Land Of Fish And Rice

Aberdeen-based SAC International recently welcomed a delegation from China keen to learn how SAC delivers key messages about best practice in agricultural development. The six delegates came from Hubei Province which is known as the “Land of Fish and Rice” and has a population of 60 million, the same as the whole of the UK.

Their visit to Craibstone was the last venue of a study tour that had included institutions in France, Germany and Denmark.  Their remit was to find the best ways of applying best practice in order to stimulate agricultural production in their province and with it rural economic development. 

SAC International leads SAC’s international development projects, funded by official development organisations and international financial institutions like the EU and World Bank.  SAC International Project Director Dr Paul Kirby gave the visitors an overview of Scottish agriculture and explained SAC’s unique operating model.  He described the roles research, education and consultancy play in knowledge transfer and the variety of ways information is provided and dispersed among the client group.  He went on to explore the differences between government-funded extension work and private consultancy as carried out by SAC colleagues.

The Monitor Farm concept proved of particular interest to the Chinese visitors.  Mr Xu Nenghai, Deputy President, Hubei Province Agriculture Department, was keen to apply this very successful knowledge transfer tool which applies the latest research ideas and best practice in a practical way.  However, with a big smile on his face, Mr Nenghai explained that his community groups would need to have 250 people rather than 25!

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