Three months is not a long time to become proficient in a foreign language but 16 Chinese agriculture officials are trying.
They are studying English and learning and debating agriculture while at the University of Saskatchewan until the end of August. This is the third year the university extension department’s Centre for Second Language Instruction has worked with Chinese government officials to sharpen their English language skills.
Their instructors, Judith Fretz and Craig Campbell, who the students called dedicated, considerate and experienced, will also be taking the group to visit Saskatchewan farms, the Poundmaker feedlot in Lanigan, Sask., and a potash mine.
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Besides learning about Canada’s agriculture, the Chinese have also been studying Canadian government and policy.
“They certainly got into the election in a big way,” Fretz said.
Danyang Song said he and his colleagues want to learn because “in China, the economy and culture is open to the world. My classmates are in the agriculture department of the central national government. They have an opportunity to attend conferences and spread their knowledge to other agriculture officials.”
Classmate Liping Shen said learning another language “is very important to help us (China) to improve our relationships in the world.”
The internet, which is mainly in English, is another impetus. Guowen Ding said it’s a resource to help understand agricultural developments as well as world news.
The Chinese were knowledgeable about Canada, knowing it as a trading partner that belongs to the Cairns group of nations that seeks a middle ground between the subsidizers of Europe and the United States and the developing world. They agreed China is more open since it joined the World Trade Organization and said they were in Canada to learn more about the country’s trade policy.
On the issue of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly, they diplomatically noted its success as a marketing tool but asked why so many farmers seem to complain about it.
They said Chinese farmers have to sell a certain amount of their rice and wheat to the government, but the rest is theirs to sell where they wish.
“We’re trying to nurture more competition. We have many channels to allow farmers to sell their grain,” one said.
The group also noted a large problem with educating Chinese farmers, who make up 80 percent of the population. The government has offered subsidies to train farmers to develop other skills, and unlike Canada, China is encouraging urbanization. With limited farmland, future jobs will be in the cities.
But for those who remain farming, these officials plan more extension work, reaching rural people through radio, newspapers and television, including a channel dedicated to agricultural information.
The goal is not only to teach them how to use fertilizer and pesticides but also to protect the water and soil through sustainable practices and organic techniques.
When asked whether the goal is to grow enough food to feed their own people or to export, the group said both.
“Our object is to improve the people’s living standard,” Song said.
“We have long-term strategies. Every industry’s final objective is for the people.”
