{{Short description, Chinese-British sustainable agriculture network launched in 2008
The China-UK Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network (SAIN) is a
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...
Network launched in 2008 to provide a framework for collaboration on
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
and
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
between the UK and China.
The agreement supports the already existing China-UK Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD) signed by the
Chinese Ministry of Agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) was an executive state agency within the government of the People's Republic of China. Its responsibilities were assumed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on March 19, 2018. Areas of responsibility ...
and the UK
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United ...
(DEFRA). Agreed upon by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the development of SAIN was included in the SDD work program on Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries. After being originally proposed at the UK-China Partners in Science Conference in North West China, a business plan was created after consultation with Chinese stake-holders, bilateral agencies, and international organizations. in December 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Department of Environment, food and Rural Affairs accepted and adopted the new policy.
The UK-China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network has four primary goals:
1. Support UK-China SDD by policy approaches, institutional mechanisms, and moving policy and science to the ground level.
2. Encourage and grow research on environmentally sustainable agriculture and its relevance to local, national, and the global economy.
3. Gather important actors, such as farmers and policy makers, and educate them on environmentally sustainable agriculture issues.
4. Increase global sustainability with south-south learning.
The organization of SAIN consists of a Governing Board, two Secretariat Offices, and Working Groups. The North West Agriculture Forestry University in China and East Anglia University in England are the locations of the two Secretariat Offices.
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...