Several experts and scholars gathered at the 2019 China-Europe Rural Revitalization Modern Agriculture Forum, which was held in Zhanjiang on Dec 11, offering suggestions for the revitalization and development of Zhanjiang's rural areas.

The forum was sponsored by the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST), as well as the people's government of Zhanjiang.

Chen Yun, director of the Zhanjiang publicity department, noted at the opening ceremony that the forum is a major event that uses high-level talents to help Zhanjiang, which is of great significance to rural revitalization.

In order to help the rural revitalization strategy, CAST has actively introduced high-end overseas talents to support rural and agricultural development, which has resulted in a number of remarkable achievements. In April 2015, Zhanjiang was approved to establish the Guangdong (Zhanjiang) HOME Work Base to introduce overseas high-level talents to serve the economic and social development of the city. HOME is a project of CAST aiming to find, recommend, and attract overseas talents to return to work in China through various methods like academic exchanges and project cooperation.

Of the six experts present at the forum, three were from the agricultural sector in Belgium. They shared European advanced experiences in intensive production management and operation. The other three were domestic experts who shared advanced techniques in tomato, tea, and sea rice planting.

In addition, the six experts also investigated modern agricultural industrial parks in Zhanjiang to negotiate and sign contracts for in-depth cooperation.