A delegation of the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAE CAS) led by Lanzhu Ji, director of IAE CAS, visited Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt from February 25 to 29, 2024.

During their visit, the delegation met with the president Dr. Gina El-Feky and selected staff including Dr. Menna-t-allah M. El-Kotamy (International Cooperation Coordinator) and others. They also visited several research centers and laboratories affiliated. During the meetings, the two sides exchanged views on research collaboration areas such as agriculture, ecology and environment, staff visits and training, joint postgraduate training, sponsoring international workshops, laboratory technical support. This is a good beginning to establish more and fruitful cooperation in the future.

Egyptian agriculture is dominated by irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, of which irrigated agriculture accounts for a considerable proportion. Since Egypt is located in the desert and receives very little rainfall, agriculture relies mainly on irrigation from the Nile River. In addition, Egypt's land is mostly coastal plains and inland lowlands, and these soils are fertile and suitable for crop growth, making Egyptian agriculture more developed. However, Egypt’s ecosystem faces threaten from natural and human-induced factors including over-grazing, deforestation, and climate changes. As a result, water soluble and multifunctional fertilizer development, agricultural modernization, ecosystem restoration and protection are identified as the priority areas for cooperation between the two sides.

Group meeting at Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt