On 10 April 2026, an online seminar on “Smart Agriculture Training for Rural Development” was successfully held, bringing together approximately 170 participants from SEAMEO Member States and beyond. The event was jointly organised by the China-ASEAN Technical Education Cooperation Platform (CATECP), the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Technical Education Development (SEAMEO TED), Go Study Global Education, the PASITA Foundation, and the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED).
In his opening remarks, Dr. Zhao Yuchi, Executive Director of INRULED, highlighted that while smart agriculture can help enhance productivity and resilience, technology alone cannot drive rural transformation. The key lies in strengthening human capacities and ensuring that innovation effectively reaches rural and remote communities. Dr. Zhao further emphasised the importance of capacity development and multi-stakeholder collaboration, particularly through leveraging the roles of higher education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in skills development, to build more inclusive training systems and establish community-based lifelong learning mechanisms that support sustainable rural transformation.
During the session, Dr. Wang Qiang from Beijing Normal University, Dr. Amy Lizbeth J. Rico from Tarlac Agricultural University in the Philippines, Dr. Lalith Amarathunga from Uva Wellassa University in Sri Lanka, and Dr. Sarah Baharudin from Universiti Putra Malaysia exchanged insights on different dimensions of smart agriculture training. Dr. Wang Qiang presented a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)-based agricultural training initiative, highlighting the role of higher education in facilitating farmers’ access to digital technologies through skills development programmes, while also addressing key implementation challenges. The other experts shared their countries’ experiences and reflections on areas such as smart agriculture education, smallholder farmer capacity building, and innovation in agricultural vocational education.
The seminar provided a platform for practitioners and researchers from different countries to exchange knowledge and experiences on smart agriculture training and rural development. Moving forward, INRULED will continue to work with its partners to foster dialogue and collaboration, contributing to sustainable rural development globally.