The 7th International High-level Symposium for Directors of Agricultural Sciences was successfully held in Sanya, Hainan province, from Oct 25 to 28. The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the People's Government of Hainan Province, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

As an important side event of the symposium, the International Academic Seminar on Key Parameters Acquisition Technology for Smart Agriculture was held on Oct 27, with the keynote speech presented by Dr. Yu Qiangyi, the chief assistant of the Innovation Team of Smart Agriculture. More than 50 global experts and scholars participated in this side event, exchanging ideas on the prospects and challenges of key parameter acquisition technology and discussing future innovation and international cooperation in smart agriculture.

Dr. Zhanli Sun, a researcher from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Transformation in Agriculture and Economy in Germany, analyzed the current status and challenges of digital technologies for small-scale farming. Dr. Jin Xiuliang, a researcher from the Crop Science Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced the systematic approach of precision agriculture. Prof. Seishi Ninomiya from the University of Tokyo and Associate Prof. Wei Guo discussed the application of the Internet of Things, robotics, and artificial intelligence in plant phenomics. Assistant Prof. Yue Dou from Wageningen University in the Netherlands presented the geographic smart solutions for building resilient agricultural food systems.

The atmosphere of this side event was enthusiastic, and all the participating experts agreed that future of smart agriculture should not only focus on the digitization of production but also pay attention to digitalization in post-production circulation. They emphasized the importance of technology acceptance and application by small-scale farmers and other agricultural producers, as well as the need for data sharing and services. As an important activity of the symposium, this event showcased the fruitful achievements of CAASTIP to global scientists, enhancing the international influence of smart agriculture in China. It not only facilitated the cooperation and communication among scholars in the field of smart agriculture domestically and internationally but also helped to gather global technological resources and promote international innovation in agricultural science and technology, thus driving the development of global agricultural technology.