On October 17, the China-Morocco Horticultural Research Cooperation meeting was held at our university, organized by the College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences. The event aimed to promote deeper exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in horticulture and landscape architecture. Representatives from Morocco’s Agadir Horticultural Complex (CHA), the French National Institute for Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Research (INRAE), École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, and Université de Lyon 1 were invited to participate.
In his welcoming remarks, Party Secretary Jianfei Long of the College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences warmly greeted the delegation, stating: “Science is a shared resource for all humanity. Cross-border collaboration allows us to jointly address challenges and advance global horticultural research.”
Professor Qiang Xu, Director of the National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Horticultural Crops and Vice Dean of the College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences gave an overview of the university and outlined plans for collaborative research in horticultural crops and landscape architecture, along with future directions for development. Professor Farid Lekjaa, Dean of the Agadir Horticultural Complex (CHA), and Professor Mohammed Bendahmane from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon provided insights into Morocco’s horticulture industry, emphasizing its strengths and outlining plans for future collaboration with our university. Both sides reached a preliminary agreement to collaborate in areas such as landscape architecture research, the development of virus-resistant and drought-tolerant citrus varieties, tomato and blueberry breeding, student training, and faculty exchanges. The meeting was chaired by Professor Xiaopeng Fu from the College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences.
Following the meeting, the delegation visited Huazhong Agricultural University’s citrus research base, where they expressed keen interest in the university’s achievements in developing disease-resistant and stress-tolerant citrus varieties, along with its advanced breeding technologies. Professor Farid Lekjaa highlighted the strong compatibility and complementarity between our university and Moroccan horticultural research. He expressed optimism about strengthening cooperation to boost agricultural productivity in Morocco, contributing to the broader goal of sustainable agricultural development.
Huazhong Agricultural University remains committed to advancing international cooperation in scientific research and education. The collaboration with institutions in Morocco and France marks a significant step forward in horticultural innovation and demonstrates the university’s dedication to contributing to global efforts toward sustainable development.
