People visit the 30th China Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Fair in Yangling, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 19, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

XI'AN -- Just as the mythic hero Hou Ji is said to have taught the Chinese people how to grow grain in the Yangling region some 4,000 years ago, this agricultural hub today continues to be a beacon of agricultural knowledge.

Over the past five years, more than 2,200 agricultural officials and technicians from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries have received training at the SCO Demonstration Base for Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training in Yangling, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

In addition to hands-on training, the base has also delivered specialized agricultural technology lectures, attracting over 40,000 online learners.

These figures were released during the annual symposium of the China Center for SCO Studies held on Wednesday in the Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Industrial Demonstration Zone.

The event drew over 100 experts, scholars, and business leaders, underscoring the base's role in fostering international cooperation in agriculture.

Chen Bo, director of the China Center for SCO Studies, emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts among member countries to address common risks and challenges.

"In terms of food security, for example, their complementary advantages provide a solid foundation for cooperation. Future opportunities lie in areas such as food production, foreign trade, and agricultural talent and technology exchanges," said Wei Feng from Northwest A&F University.

With less than 9 percent of the world's arable land, China produces around a quarter of the world's grain and feeds about a fifth of the global population.

China has been an active participant in global food and agriculture governance, engaging in agricultural science and technology exchanges with more than 140 countries and regions. China has also promoted over 1,000 agricultural technologies and trained more than 14,000 hybrid rice specialists in developing countries.

Covering an area of about 135 square km, Yangling is located approximately 80 km to the west of Shaanxi's capital, Xi'an, where the ancient Silk Road started. Known for its deep-rooted agricultural civilization, Yangling has witnessed deepening agricultural cooperation under the SCO framework in recent years.