National Chung Hsing University and the World Vegetable Center sign agreement to cooperate on international R&D activities.

Joint projects and training to expand opportunities for action in global agriculture for development

Taichung, Taiwan – December 8, 2021 — National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) and the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to conduct joint vegetable research and development to transform food systems towards greatly improved human health outcomes and vastly reduced environmental footprints.

NCHU President, Dr. Fuh-Sheng Shieu, said the MOU will allow students to expand their international agricultural experience and nurture well-rounded agricultural talent for Taiwan through interactive learning with WorldVeg.

Dr. Yann-Rong Lin, WorldVeg Deputy Director General – Partnerships said global agricultural production increasingly encounters harsh challenges from climate change and that food crises may occur at any time. Imbalanced diets have serious health implications, she noted, emphasizing the need for a shift to healthier diets.

NCHU and WorldVeg established the international cooperation alliance to ensure Taiwan students are prepared to assume the responsibilities of global citizens working toward global food security. “Their participation in research and promotion of vegetables can enhance public health and strengthen domestic and international collaboration,” said Dr. Fuh-Jyh Jan, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources of NCHU.

Ten years ago, the university established an International Agronomy Master’s degree program and an International Agribusiness Bachelor’s degree program to recruit international students and nurture international agricultural talent for Taiwan. In recent years, NCHU obtained the Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Deep Ploughing Program, and has focused on animal, plant, and agricultural biotechnology.

Dr. Marco Wopereis, WorldVeg Director General, expressed his appreciation for the MOA.  “WorldVeg is a leading international organization with headquarters in Taiwan,” he said. “We can benefit from the perspective and innovations of NCHU students and faculty while opening doors to the world for them through joint research projects.”

Dr. Fuh-Sheng Shieu, NCHU President, noted the university is known for nurturing outstanding agricultural talent. Research results have been published in top international journals, and industrial applications have been implemented to enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan’s agriculture. “Our development of precision and sustainable agricultural applications won the Future Science and Technology Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology this year,” he said.

Dr. Wopereis said WorldVeg’s mandate is huge and the Center is too small to tackle the challenges ahead on its own. “We are transforming WorldVeg into an Open Science Center to ensure a much greater share of global R&D efforts is dedicated to nutritious, health-promoting foods, in particular vegetables,” he said. To achieve this, WorldVeg joins with partners such as NCHU to realize the tremendous economic and nutritional potential of vegetables in a sustainable manner. The signing of the MOU is an important step towards realizing the Open Science Center vision.