KIGALI, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN officials have commended China's efforts to transfer Juncao cultivation technology to local communities in Africa, highlighting its potential to drive economic transformation and create job opportunities.
Earle Courtenay Rattray, chief of Staff to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, and Amson Sibanda, chief of the National Strategies and Capacity Building Branch Division for Sustainable Development Goals at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, shared their insights in recent interviews with Xinhua, on the sidelines of a Juncao technology training workshop in Huye District, Rwanda, for African participants.
Rattray said that Juncao technology aligns with the UN's primary goals of promoting sustainable development.
"Juncao technology is affordable. Many times when we talk of the need to transfer technology, you recognize that there is a technology gap between the rich and poor countries. But this technology is applied in such a way that it can be affordable to the person that is applying it at a very local level, and that I think is the key benefit of it," Rattray said.
"It is really about transferring technology to the local level, transferring technology from China in a way that makes sense and is relevant and practical for the people of developing countries throughout Africa, and that is what we are seeing, a tangible demonstration of that," he added.
Juncao is a hybrid grass and a crucial agricultural resource for mushroom farming, initially developed by Lin Zhanxi of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in China during the 1980s. It has since benefited over 100 countries.
The technology supports several Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, including poverty eradication, clean energy, gender equality, and biodiversity preservation.
"For us, we look at Juncao technology as one of the packages that countries should look at when it comes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," Sibanda said.
He further explained that Juncao can assist countries facing challenges in providing sustainable livestock feed. "This is one effective way to make sure that throughout the year your livestock have adequate nutritious livestock feeds. So, that is one positive contribution of Juncao technology to eradicating poverty, and improving food security throughout the world," Sibanda said.
Sibanda also said Juncao technology aids in producing nutritious mushrooms, which fosters nutrition, job creation, and environmental protection.
In Rwanda, the UN officials toured local mushroom producers using Juncao technology and observed demonstrations of mushroom cooking.
Rattray described the experience as rewarding, saying "I'm delighted to be in Rwanda with other UN officials and the ambassador of China (to the UN), to see for ourselves something that we previously were only reading about. It makes a difference to see with our own eyes an action benefiting people."
The officials also expressed optimism that the participants, who received hands-on training in mushroom production, would return to their countries and promote Juncao cultivation within their communities.
"It is an indication of how best to promote the technology to make sure that people understand it. It is a technology that can be adopted anywhere, no matter the circumstances," said Sibanda, adding that "it has been simplified and very easy to adopt and apply in any setting, whether rural or urban setting. So it is a technology that can really benefit many people."
