From July 26 to August 8, the School of Agriculture and Biology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University organized outstanding students to participate in the 2026 "Joint Practical Program on Advanced Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in the Netherlands" at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands.

 

This program, co-organized with the Chinese Association of Students and Scholars at Wageningen (CASSW), is one of the School's core initiatives for connecting with world-class agricultural science and education resources and deepening the internationalized training of New Agricultural Sciences talent. With the core objectives of "exploring international agricultural frontiers, enhancing students' global competence, and empowering China's agricultural modernization," the program led students deep into Europe's agricultural innovation frontlines, decoding the logic behind the Netherlands' high-quality agricultural development from the multidimensional perspectives of technology, industry, policy, and society.

 

Four Modules of Systematic Learning: A Panoramic Encounter with Global Agricultural Frontiers

Structured around the framework of "thematic learning + case observation + cross-university collaboration + outcome transformation," the program established four modules centered on sustainable agricultural development in the Netherlands. It connected more than ten core sites, including top research platforms, national-level research facilities, benchmark industry scenarios, and ecological practice bases, guiding students to systematically build a three-dimensional understanding of the Dutch modern agricultural system from four dimensions: resource utilization, technological innovation, industrial circulation, and responsible production.

 

The Resource Utilization and Ecological Sustainability module focused on the natural foundations and ecological boundaries of agricultural development. It covered sites including the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) and the World Soil Museum, the Wageningen community-supported and permaculture demonstration farm, the Wadden Sea World Natural Heritage Site, the Netherlands Polder Museum, and AlgaePARC. Through thematic soil tours and lectures on environmental landscape ecology, students established a foundational understanding of agricultural development from the perspective of global resource patterns. They conducted hands-on learning at permaculture farms and field research at the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site and the Polder Museum, gaining direct insight into the Netherlands' governance wisdom in water resource management, biodiversity conservation, and coordinated agricultural spatial planning under lowland resource constraints, while exploring ecologically prioritized pathways for sustainable agricultural development.

 

The Scientific Innovation and Outcome Transformation module focused on agricultural science frontiers and the pathways of industry-academia-research transformation. It covered core research facilities including the WUR Biochemistry Laboratory, the Netherlands National Plant Phenotyping Center, the WUR Joint Experimental Farm, and the intelligent dairy farm at the WUR Dairy Campus. Leveraging WUR's top disciplinary strengths, students systematically studied frontier topics such as protected agriculture, future food design, and smart livestock farming. They visited world-class research facilities to observe technology development and application scenarios firsthand. Through thematic sharing on new research institution models, they gained a deep understanding of the efficient transformation mechanisms of Dutch agricultural technology innovation from laboratory to industry, and the core driving role of technological innovation in high-quality agricultural development.

 

The Agricultural Supply Chain System module focused on the full-chain operation of the Dutch agricultural industry and the building of global competitiveness. It included the Royal FloraHolland flower auction center, the core port area of the Port of Rotterdam, and traditional family organic farms in South Holland. Students visited the world's largest flower trading center to experience the efficient trading system and cold-chain logistics network of a world-class horticultural supply chain. They conducted field research at the core port area of Rotterdam to study global agricultural product port logistics and cross-border trade operations. Combined with thematic lectures on agricultural macroeconomics and global sustainable food systems, they analyzed the Netherlands' global competitive advantages in agriculture from the perspective of industrial economics, building a systematic understanding of agricultural products from production to trade.

 

The Responsible Production Systems module focused on the synergistic pathways of efficient production, social responsibility, and ecological ethics in the Netherlands. It covered sites including the Almere Animal Rescue Center and a demonstration laying hen farm for animal welfare in Limburg Province. Students visited the animal welfare demonstration laying hen farm and standardized intelligent pastures to systematically learn about European animal welfare standards and technical practices in livestock and poultry farming. They also visited organic farms and biodiversity conservation bases to understand the production models and social value of eco-friendly agriculture, comprehensively grasping the Netherlands' development philosophy of "high yield and efficiency in parallel with responsibility," and building an agricultural development perspective that combines industrial value with humanistic warmth.

 

On August 4, SJTU students made a special trip to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for an exchange and discussion, reporting on their gains and reflections during the program and engaging in dialogue on topics such as China-Netherlands agricultural cooperation and the mission of young scholars, further deepening their understanding of the landscape of international agricultural cooperation and national strategic needs.

 

Multidimensional Empowerment for Growth: Serving the National Agricultural Development Agenda

This joint practical program represents an active exploration by the School of Agriculture and Biology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to benchmark against the world's top agricultural education systems and upgrade its New Agricultural Sciences talent training model. The program focused on both horizontal expansion and vertical deepening of professional knowledge, helping students establish a multidimensional agricultural cognition system.

 

The program adopted a cross-university mixed-group model, with students from top domestic universities forming research teams. Group discussions ran throughout the entire program, with teams conducting literature review, case analysis, and outcome consolidation around selected topics, and presenting their reflections and insights on the "technology-industry-policy-society" framework.

 

Wageningen University & Research has ranked first in the QS World University Rankings for Agriculture and Forestry for 11 consecutive years and is a leading innovation hub in global agriculture, food, and environmental sciences.

 

The Chinese Association of Students and Scholars at Wageningen (CASSW), as a non-profit academic exchange organization rooted in Wageningen University & Research, serves as a core bridge connecting Chinese universities with top Dutch agricultural science and education resources, providing a high-quality platform for Chinese agricultural students to connect with international frontiers and engage in cross-university collaboration.

 

Looking ahead, the School will facilitate the application of the outcomes from this practical program, continue to deepen stable and in-depth cooperation with Wageningen University, continuously introduce high-quality international science and education resources, improve its internationalized education system, and cultivate more high-level New Agricultural Sciences talent with global competence.