China's “miracle grass” contributes to global sustainable development: UN meeting

Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu, China's Permanent Representative to the UN (1st R), the 73rd UNGA President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces (2nd R), UN Under-Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin (1st L), UN Chef de Cabinet Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti (2nd L) address a high-level meeting on Juncao technology at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 18, 2019. [China Plus/Qian Shanming]

China's "miracle grass," known as Juncao, is being held up by UN officials as a way the Belt and Road Initiative is helping advance sustainable development around the world.

A high-level meeting, titled "Juncao Technology: Concrete Contribution of the Belt and Road Initiative towards Synergies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" convened at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

The meeting brought together roughly 200 participants from UN organizations and UN member countries, including a number of countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. They've discussed how the Juncao technology is enabling green economies and sustainable development around the world.

Around 200 participants from UN organizations and UN member countries attend the high-level meeting on "Juncao Technology: Concrete Contribution of the Belt and Road Initiative towards Synergies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 18, 2019. [China Plus/Qian Shanming]

Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, says Juncao is helping the development of a greener world. The ambassador says that since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, there have been many success stories of the BRI contributing to economic growth and better living conditions in participating countries, and the Juncao technology is one of the shining examples.

"Juncao technology, originated in China, is a comprehensive technology designed for poverty alleviation, ecological protection and sustainable development. After years of development, Juncao technology has been applied in many countries along the routes of the Belt and Road. It helps the countries meet SDGs, such as eliminating poverty and hunger, promoting food security, ensuring and increasing employment, tackling climate change and protecting the ecological environment, and helps the people get rid of poverty and live a better life."

Juncao Technology was invented in 1986 by Chinese scientist Lin Zhanxi with the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. It allows edible and medicinal fungi to grow from chopped grass or herbal plants. The herbs are called "Juncao."

UN officials and delegate members, Agriculture ministers and experts from UN member countries visit a photo exhibition on China's Juncao technology at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 18, 2019. [China Plus/Qian Shanming]

The Juncao Technology Project was launched at the UN headquarters in 2017, supported by the China-UN Peace and Development Trust Fund. So far, the Juncao technology has been introduced into 106 countries, including many countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, says the Juncao technology is helping create new, green economies, while also protecting fragile ecosystems.

"The Juncao technology is a small idea with proven big potentials. As demonstrated by experiences of countries that have participated in the Belt and Road Initiative, Juncao technology can catalyze synergies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through South-South cooperation and SDG17 partnership, we can help scale up and disseminate this technology and its multiple concrete benefits. The 2030 Agenda calls for transformative initiatives and Juncao technology showcases a pathway whereby such initiatives can catalyze change, transform lives and livelihoods, and create opportunities for a better future."

Speaking at the session on Thursday, President of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces says Juncao technology is helping with sustainable agriculture development, particularly in developing countries.

"I am pleased to learn that the Juncao technology is emblematic of China's Belt and Road Initiative. It supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, making an important contribution to several SDG goals and targets, from poverty eradication to clean energy, gender equality to preserving bio-diversity... Crucially the technology is making a difference where is matters most, at the local and community level, to the lives of farmers, women, children and persons with disabilities, those most at risk of being left behind. I commend China for giving us the example of multilateralism in action. Let this example inspire other such initiatives that facilitate our efforts towards a secure, inclusive and more sustainable world."

The high-level meeting included Agriculture ministers, economists and experts from Juncao technology pilot countries such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, Nigeria and Madagascar, who shared with the audience their countries’ success stories of using the Juncao technology to reduce poverty, improve people’s livelihood, protect environment, and all in all, to implement the UN SDG goals step by step.