From July 27 to 30, 2025, the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Annual Meeting was held in Denver, USA. Led by Professor Zhong Zhen, Vice President of our school, a delegation consisting of Professor Ye Ziwei, Associate Professor Chen Wei, Associate Professor Yu Jialing, Associate Professor Zhang Man, as well as some students including Lei Xinyuan, Xin Mucong, Shen Shaoxin, Tang Yifang, Wei Jinyang, Chao Zenghui, Zhong Xiaoting, and Su Yang attended the conference in the United States and delivered academic presentations.

During the conference, a collaborative research project co-authored by Professor Zhong Zhen, Associate Professor Zhang Man, and our alumna Associate Professor Huang Bin from Sichuan Agricultural University was featured in the China Section session titled “Inclusive Development and Efficient Governance in Rural China.” The study explored the mechanisms and impacts of different e-commerce development pathways on the scale expansion, branding, and digital transformation of farmer cooperatives in China.

 

Dr. Lei Xinyuan presented in the session “Impacts of Structural Shocks, Government Policy, Disease Prevention, and Production Methodologies on Agricultural Commodities” with a paper titled “Who Benefits More from Seed Industry Deregulation? Heterogeneous Reform Impacts on Innovation by Firm Size.” Her presentation revealed how the market-oriented reform of the seed variety management system influences the application and innovation of new crop varieties.

 

In the session “Agricultural Production and Water,” Dr. Zhong Xiaoting delivered a presentation titled “The Impact of Toilet Revolution on Fertilizer Usage in Rural China,” based on joint work with Professor Zhong Zhen, Associate Professor Chen Wei, and others. The study examined how the rural toilet revolution affected households’ usage of organic and chemical fertilizers.

 

In the session “Renewables,” Dr. Tang Yifang presented her research titled “Solar Photovoltaic Plants and Rural Energy Consumption: Evidence from Micro-Survey and Remote Sensing,” which investigated the impact of solar PV deployment on rural energy consumption patterns in China.

 

 

 

A total of nine research posters from our faculty and students were featured in the poster session of the AAEA Annual Meeting. These included:

l  Decreased Sensitivity to Drought in Bt Crops: Evidence from Rootworm Bt Corn Experimental Trials (Lead author: Professor Ye Ziwei)

l  Impact of China’s Watershed Ecological Compensation Policy on Water Quality (Lead author: Associate Professor Zhang Man)

l  Herdsmen’s Demand for Pastureland Insurance in China: A Discrete Choice Experiment (Lead author: Ph.D. student Xin Mucong)

l  How Does Land Fragmentation Affect Farmers’ Decision-Making for Agricultural Socialized Services? (Lead author: Ph.D. student Shen Shaoxin)

l  Catch Up or Outperform? The Impact of China’s Anti-Poverty Relocation Program on Children’s Education and Health Outcomes (Lead author: Ph.D. student Wei Jinyang)

l  Can Relocation Improve the Dietary Quality of Low-Income Rural Households? Evidence from the Poverty Alleviation Relocation Program in China and Impact of Clean Coal Promotion on Social Welfare and Pollutant Emission among Rural Residents in China (Lead author: Ph.D. student Chao Zenghui)

l  Eat Enough or Eat Well? Changing Attitudes to Genetically Modified Foods among Chinese Consumers (Lead author: Xin Yijing)

l  Explaining Adoptions of Conservation Practices by Farmers’ Behavioral Traits (Lead author: undergraduate student Su Yang)

These posters covered a wide array of topics including rural development, environmental policy, food consumption, insurance behavior, and agricultural services, demonstrating the breadth and depth of our school’s ongoing academic research.

 

 

During the conference, faculty and students from our school also visited several internationally renowned scholars and distinguished alumni, including Professors David Zilberman, Titus Awokuse, Jin Songqing, Wu Junjie, and Jin Yanhong. These meetings facilitated in-depth exchanges on research progress and graduate student training, further expanding the scope of international academic collaboration.

 

The Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) is one of the most prestigious and influential international academic organizations in the field of agricultural and applied economics. It brings together leading scholars from around the world and hosts its annual meeting every summer in the United States. The conference focuses on cutting-edge research in agricultural and resource economics, development economics, and food policy, aiming to promote global academic exchange and knowledge sharing. Since its establishment in 2009, the AAEA China Section has actively fostered transnational dialogue and collaboration on issues related to China’s agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (“San Nong”).

 

Our school’s participation in the conference not only showcased its solid academic foundation and innovative achievements in the field of agriculture and rural development, but also enhanced the international visibility and influence of the college. Through in-depth engagement in academic exchanges, our faculty and students have strengthened ties with top international institutions and contributed to the global dissemination of China’s “San Nong” stories. The school remains committed to supporting participation in high-level international academic platforms, promoting the global reach of our research achievements, and advancing the construction of an independent knowledge system in China’s agricultural economics.