Participants learn about smart agricultural equipment during a seminar in Jiangsu University. [Photo/Jiangsu University]

A smart agriculture model developed by Jiangsu University and partners from China and abroad was recently showcased at a China-Bosnia and Herzegovina Smart Agriculture Cooperation Seminar.

The model, developed over three years, has already been put into use at Jiangsu Runguo Farm, supporting the entire wheat production cycle, from cultivation and planting to harvesting. The system has helped reduce water consumption by 12.2 percent, fertilizer use by 13.7 percent and pesticide use by 21.4 percent.

Behind the debut of the agricultural model is a growing cooperation network spanning Central and Eastern Europe. Jiangsu University and the University of East Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina have established a Belt and Road Joint Laboratory for Smart Agricultural Technology and Equipment, the first of its kind.

In recent years, Jiangsu University has worked with 50 international universities specializing in agriculture to establish the International Alliance of Agricultural Engineering Universities. It has also developed partnerships with 263 universities in 66 countries and regions, while helping more than 200 Chinese companies expand overseas and supporting the international application of Chinese agricultural machinery.

The university's international agricultural cooperation dates back decades. In the 1980s and 1990s, commissioned by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, it organized eight training programs on small and medium-sized agricultural machinery, attracting participants from 39 developing countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific.

Today, Jiangsu University has built an extensive talent development network serving Belt and Road partner countries. More than 3,000 international students from over 100 countries are currently studying at the university, including more than 1,500 students from Belt and Road partner countries. Nearly 60 percent of these students are enrolled in 22 agriculture-related engineering disciplines.