The Workshop on Ecological Pest Management opened at FAFU’s Jinshan Campus on December 11th. The three-day event was jointly hosted by FAFU’s International Ecological and Pest Control Laboratory, the Innovation and Talent Recruitment Center for Ecological Pest Control of Subtropical Crops (Hereinafter referred to as the “111, or the Three High-end Program”), and the National Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Cross-Strait Ecological Pest Control. FAFU Council Chair Lai Hairong, Vice President Zhou Shungui, Professor Geoff Gurr and Professor Liette Vassur from partner institutions, Professor You Minshen, and 17 experts in the field attended the opening ceremony chaired by Professor You. 

On the spot of the Workshop

Remarks by FAFU Council Chair Lai Hairong

Professor Lai welcomed the participants and outlined FAFU’s recent achievements, particularly highlighting the university’s persistent efforts in advancing plant protection research and its productive international collaborations in ecological pest management. He encouraged FAFU faculty and students to maximize this learning opportunity. 

Remarks by Geoff Gurr 

Professor Geoff Gurr from Charles Sturt University, Australia, expressed his pleasure at returning to FAFU for academic exchange following the pandemic. He reflected on the fruitful partnership between the institutions, which has yielded nine international collaborative projects and trained over 50 postgraduate students. He emphasized how their joint ecological pest control technologies have significantly reduced pesticide use in vegetable cultivation, effectively preventing pest resistance and food contamination.

Professor You Minsheng outlined the workshop’s focus on knowledge exchange in ecological entomology and integrated pest management. Key topics included addressing global environmental changes, pesticide overuse, and the evolution of crop pests in modern agricultural systems. He also stressed the importance of bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical applications.

The workshop features presentations from 17 international and domestic experts, including Professor Geoff Gurr and Professor Jiang Hongbo from Southwest University, sharing their latest research findings on ecological pest control. Prior to the workshop, experts also convened to review the recent achievements and outlined future development plans for the “111 Program”. 

Group Photo 

The event was attended by over 200 participants from various university departments and the College of Plant Protection.

Correspondant: College of  Plant Protection  He Weiyi

Photogragher: Publicity Department  Gao Yan

Translators: Huang Jian, International College

Xu Duo, International College