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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Within the framework of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), IAMO in cooperation with the Sino-German Agricultural Centre (DCZ) organises a panel discussion entitled “Water-Smart Agriculture in Arid Regions: Lessons from Sino-German Cooperation” on 16 January 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
As a country with 17% of the world’s population but only 7% of global freshwater, China is facing growing water stress. This challenge is felt even more keenly due to stark regional disparities: while the arid northwest holds much of the country’s farmland, it has only a fraction of the water resources. Yet agriculture, driven by food security goals and economic incentives, continues to expand in these regions.
This panel will examine strategies and technologies to use water more efficiently in agriculture under such constraints. Drawing on scientific research and practical experience from Sino-German technical cooperation on joint projects in China, it will explore how to modernise irrigation systems, improve water reuse, and prevent soil salinisation caused by inappropriate irrigation and drainage practices to ensure solutions that balance agricultural production with environmental and climate protection.
The lessons learned here apply beyond China. Similar pressures affect not only other arid regions in Central Asia but also parts of Germany, such as Brandenburg, where droughts and irregular rainfall induced by climate change increasingly threaten farming. The discussion thus aims to highlight solutions that are transregionally applicable and thus of global relevance with regard to building resilient agriculture in of the face of growing water stress.
This event will take place on 16 January 2026 from 9:30 am to 11:00 am (CET), CityCube Berlin, Germany. The conference languages are English and German.
Further information and registration can be found on the following website: www.gffa-berlin.de/en.
About GFFA
The 18th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) entitled “Water. Harvests. Our Future” will be held from 14 to 17 January 2026 in Berlin, Germany. The GFFA is an international conference on agri-food policy issues. It is organised by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) in cooperation with the Messe Berlin GmbH.
About IAMO
The Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) analyses economic, social and political processes of change in the agricultural and food sector, and in rural areas. The geographic focus covers the enlarging EU, transition regions of Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe, as well as Central and Eastern Asia. IAMO works to enhance the understanding of institutional, structural and technological changes. Moreover, IAMO studies the resulting impacts on the agricultural and food sector as well as the living conditions of rural populations. The outcomes of our work are used to derive and analyse strategies and options for enterprises, agricultural markets and politics. Since its founding in 1994, IAMO has been part of the Leibniz Association, a German community of independent research institutes.
Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)
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