The Round Table of World Peasant Association (WPA), was just held at China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center. The event brought together peasant groups, agricultural experts, and government officials from around the world to discuss new agricultural development routes and prospects.

Attendants of the Round Table were WPA’s Executive Director Shi Yazheng (China) and Nicos Ioannou (Cyprus); Vice President of WPA’s Youth Committee Manoj Kumar Oli (Nepal);  WPA’s Standing Director and CACA’s Standing Vice Chair Chen Fang; Timor-Leste’s Vice President for Blue Economy Sansao Gomes; Tiago Abraao Ferreira Lopes (Brazil); the Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Cambodia H.E. Ky Chanromdoul; Deputy Head of Department of Chemical Protection of Cambodia Im Lavin; Thongkeo Xayalath, chairman of Laos Hongyuan Group; Sun Xi (Singapore); senior scholar on Iran-China relations and researcher at Hainan Normal University Mahdi Yousefi; Chairman of Agatha Industries India Pvt Ltd. Imran Khan; CEO of Greece Laiko Group Michalakis Parides.

WPA’s Secretary-General Zhang Qi delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the value of enhancing global cooperation and expanding opening-up for the benefit of peasants. He made the point that even while there remain huge disparities in the world’s development, agriculture is still the weakest link, and that by working together internationally, we are able to advance agricultural growth to benefit all peasants.

Following that, the WPA Executive Directors and delegations heads introduced themselves and briefly discussed their agencies and delegations. This not only helped participants better understand each other and laid the groundwork for future exchanges and cooperation, but it also proved the commitment of global peasants to unite as one and seek common progress.

Secretary-General Zhang Qi reported on WPA’s activity in recent years at the gathering. He stated that, following the pandemic, WPA and CACA co-organized the 1^st World Peasant Conference and successfully convened the 2^nd Global Peasant Forum. The conference and forum provided intellectual support for global agricultural development by holding in-depth talks on themes such as agricultural scientific and technological innovation, the impact of climate change on agriculture, and the preservation of peasants’ rights and interests. At the same time, the association has actively participated in natural disaster relief, scholarship support for outstanding students from rural families, project cooperation among member states, business delegation interaction, and other work, with positive results.

In discussing WPA’s work plan of 2024, Secretary-General Zhang Qi stressed the following: 1) to fortify WPA’s structure. WPA’s network and global influence will increase with the addition of 12 more member nations in 2024. 2) It is imperative to enhance the trade collaboration among member states, establish the attributes and trademarks of WPA, reinforce the cooperation and interconnection of production, processing, and sales, and enhance WPA’s financial insurance. 3) WPA will keep providing financial support for education, with a focus on gifted youth from rural areas, to enable them to finish higher education and fully utilize their agricultural skills. 4) WPA will improve its cohesion by providing the executive directors with corresponding work allowances. 5) WPA will ensure the success of the 3^rd Global Peasant Forum and further promote the growth of international agriculture through exchanges and cooperation.   

Secretary-General Zhang Qi stressed the importance of focusing on hosting cultural and artistic activities such as the “World Peasant Photography Contest” and international agricultural product festivals like the “International Chili Festival” when planning and executing WPA activities. WPA will keep highlighting the qualities of global agricultural products, encouraging collaboration in the international food trade, and raising the added value and competitiveness of agricultural products.

In the free speech part, Executive Directors and guests shared their opinions. They agreed that fostering more international collaboration is the best way to ensure the prosperity of global agriculture. They also had in-depth conversations about ways to lower production costs, preserve  the natural environment, and enhance the quality of agricultural products. In addition to giving global peasants a platform for communication and cooperation, the round table brought WPA new momentum. It is thought that peasants could usher in a better future through increased international cooperation and openness.

Furthermore, the conference put forward some concrete cooperation projects and plans. During the round table, participants held in-depth discussions on how to protect the ecological environment to deal with climate change and other issues, and proposed corresponding measures and programs. These approaches will help to reduce agriculture’s environmental impact and encourage long-term development.