China

Be the director, leading actor/actress, camerman & producer of your own movie and win one of our cash prizes!

The ERA- Net SusCrop is launching a video contest to actively involve EVERYBODY from across the world to reflect, communicate and inspire on ‘what sustainable crop production means to you?’.

The competition is open to EVERYBODY and is supposed to activate multiple groups: school children, students, scientists, farmers/farmer-groups, and any person/group of random enthusiasts, artists (film, circus, music, digital/installation art, …), architects, social media/communication workers, etc.

KEYWORDS to inspire: sustainability, resilience, agriculture, forestry, ecology, crop production, crops, plants, science, nature, climate change, the future

However, we invite any kind of video: be original, think out-of-the-box! What does sustainability in the area of crop production mean to you? How should agriculture look like in the future? Do you practice sustainability procedures in growing crops or ornamental plants in your environment (e.g. your garden or balcony)?

More information on the different categories, prizes, eligibility conditions and selection criteria can be found on: https://www.suscrop.eu/video-contest-2022

We look forward to receiving your video!

The popular science activity for the Fascination of Plants Day in 2022 was held at Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences on the afternoon of May 15, which was themed by “Biotechnology to ensure food security”. Through compiling and printing some publicity materials such as plant science brochures, science posters and holding the popular science activity knowledge competitions, it was aimed at providing popular science knowledge related to rice and other industries for college teachers and students, scientific researchers, primary and secondary school students. The cumulative number of people participating in this popular science activity reached more than 100.

The activity for the “Fascination of Plants Day” in 2022 organized by Nanjing Agricultural University was officially launched on May 18, which was themed by “plants and carbon sink”. In combination with the research direction and professional characteristics of Nanjing Agricultural University, it described the carbon sink of plants to the public from four ecosystems (grassland, forest, wetland and ocean) through the exhibition board introduction, online explanation, video display, the question-and-answer interaction with the audience and distribution of brochures. The activity was publicized by virtue of new media (such as Internet and mobile phones) and traditional paper media. In addition, some souvenirs such as postcards were independently designed and printed for nationwide publicity. The number of activity participants online and offline exceeded 1,000.

On May 25, Qujing Normal University held a series of popular science lectures for the Fascination of Plants Day in 2022 themed by “Plants and carbon sink”. Professor Guo Lihong gave a special lecture with the theme of “taking on the green mission and achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals”, and held some activities such as popular science exhibition themed by “Cooling the earth, China on the move”, laboratory opening days and teenagers’ interactive experience activities themed by “Feverish earth and nature context” “Green life on paper – plant specimens”.

On May 22, the activity for “the Fascination of Plants Day in 2022 ” was held in the Comprehensive Experimental Building of Nankai University themed by “Plants and carbon sink”. In this activity, the team of Professor Li Lei from Nankai University and the teachers and students from the experimental teaching center were invited to introduce the concepts of “carbon neutrality”, “carbon emission” and “carbon sequestration” in the form of live broadcast and played short videos of plants and “carbon neutrality” and production and observation of Elodea cells for science popularization. This activity attracted more than 300 students from colleges, middle schools and society to participate in.

On May 22, Dinghushan National Nature Reserve and Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly carried out the online linkage activity. Through introducing the protection measures of different biodiversity in two different regions: Dinghushan in situ conservation and Xishuangbanna in ex-situ conservation in the form of live broadcast, it is designed to allow the public to understand the biodiversity and reasons for the vitality it brought to the earth and recognize that the biodiversity is the foundation of human survival and development, the protection of which contributes to the maintenance of earth as homeland and the promotion of sustainable human development. This activity attracted 90,000 audience to view and participate actively. In addition, some offline forest exploration activities were carried out in cooperation with Zhaoqing Ecological Environment Bureau and other units, attracting a total of 35 parent-child families to participate.

On May 22, the Turpan Desert Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out the popular science activity live broadcast activity themed by “Are you expected to taste good or look pretty, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Hovenia acerba or Calligonum mongolicum?”, demonstrating to the public the fruit characteristics and survival wisdom of different species of Calligonum. People not only appreciated the splendid scenery of trees laden with Calligonum in the ripening season, but also understood different characteristics of three plants with such similar names. On May 24, Turpan Desert Botanical Garden carried out the online popular science education activity themed by “how do seeds travel far?” at Aidinghu Hope Primary School of Zhonghai Group in Gaochang District, Turpan City, in which students learned about the seeds transmission modes of different plants through folding the paper of Samara and observing the falling process of Samara seeds.

Activity content:

1. Popular science lecture on “Carbon” to find the secret of plants
2. Popular science exhibition named “To cool the Earth, Chinese are in action”
3. Lab Open Day and interactive experience for teenagers: Make vein bookmarks and plant specimens and plant trees on site
4. Plant popular science competition
5. Identification and listing of campus plants

Contents:

1. Science popularization forum: Function of Blue Carbon Sink in Coastal Zone and Its Response to Climate Change in the Context of Carbon Neutrality
2. Scientific experience activities: in the field of hope – sowing, harvesting rice, matsutake, etc.
3. Plant popularization videos or live online activities.

Activity Content:

1. Lucid water and lush mountains are invaluable assets – scientific activities on forest carbon storage
2. Understand the guard of Dinghushan Fire forest belt – Holmwood popularization activities

3, know the air whistler – bryophyte popularization activities

Activity content:

1. Come into the plant kingdom, and know plant activities.
2. Plant mysteries popular science exhibition. Exhibition contents include plant carbon sink knowledge, plant world under epidemic situation, knowledge of transgenic, knowledge in wheat, virus and plant virus, new scene of tomato production, past and present life of corn and other topics close to life. All of these aim to convey the connotation of biodiversity to students, and show the diversity of life and the magic of nature.
3. Live broadcast of popular science videos on plants. Young scientist, 2004 alumni (Zhao Chenglong, founder of Tasha Horticulture, plant network celebrity anchor on Tiktok and Kuaishou) and plant science and technology clubs (“Flying” Animal and Plant Society and Gewu Nature Observation Society) are invited to carry out online live broadcast of plant science popularization.
4. Plant specimen making
5. Plant Photography Competition

1. Poster introduction: Starting from the four main ecosystems (grassland, forest, wetland and ocean) where plants are located: the first ecosystem – grassland ecosystem, the obvious regional differences of global grassland carbon source and sink will be introduced, thus enhancing global perspective and introducing plant carbon sequestration processes. The second ecosystem – forest ecosystem: Focus will be put on the three periods when China’s forests changed from carbon source to carbon sink and carbon sink further enhanced, as well as the different stages of China’s economic development, so as to make people understand China’s measures and contributions to the global carbon sink. The third kind of ecosystem –wetland ecosystem: Wetland’s important carbon sink function as an important source of greenhouse gas methane will be introduced, and three important wetlands in China and their important plant communities will be introduced. The fourth ecosystem – marine ecosystem: The important role and development prospect of marine blue carbon in the development of green and low-carbon industry will be emphatically introduced to break the barrier between environmental protection and economic development in people’s traditional concept.
2. On-site display and interaction: Typical plants of the four ecosystems, such as reed and hibiscus, are selected to demonstrate plant characteristics with specimens or potted plants, and simple methods, such as pictures, clay sculptures and models, are used to show the forms and mechanism of plant carbon sequestration. According to the content of popular science, popular science topics are selected for the public, with prizes as rewards.

Activity content: online + offline combination, with online oriented. Through the official live broadcast platform of the Botanical Garden, the public will be guided to visit Turpan Desert Botanical Garden, learning about desert plants and feeling the survival wisdom of desert plants under harsh desert habitat conditions. During the live broadcast, communication with the public will be deepened through interviews with experts, interactive questions and answers, and winning gifts.

1. Identify plants by smell: Parents and families need to identify the names of spice plants on the pictures; The powder of several spice plants is placed on the spot, and the name of the plant can be identified by smelling the fragrance. Next, according to their own preferences, a beautiful sachet can be made and taken home free.
2. Black box matrix: a number of black boxes are placed on site. Each black box is filled with a variety of vegetables and fruits. Unable to see anything, child needs to touch the items in the black box with his hand, and judge the name of the items in the black box by “tactility”.
3. Travel of seeds: Some rare seeds and fruits are put on the spot, as to popularize the knowledge of plant seeds to the public visitors, and have a close contact with the seeds by “throwing”, “touching” and “holding”.
4. Art badges: Children will be given a round piece of paper on which they can draw all kinds of graffiti. The staff on site can guide children to draw “favorite plants” and “plants seen in the botanical garden”, etc. Through the way of painting, the children show their love for nature, and the last badge can be worn on the chest, as a beautiful memory of visiting the park.
5. Play with leaves: Children can master certain professional terms through the introduction of different leaf shapes on site. Also, children should find corresponding leaves nearby, describe the shape of leaves orally, and finally intuitively understand the characteristics of leaves’ veins through leaf rubbing.

Activity contents:

1. Background introduction of “International Plant Day” and review of popular science activities in Hunan over the years;
2. Display of popular science wall newspaper on International Plant Day;
3. Lectures on popular science: (1) Movement in Plants; (2) FluorCam Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging and Plant Phenotypic Imaging Analysis Technology
4. Watch popular science videos about plant: “Chinese Plants Affecting the World”, “Plants and Human Life”;
5. Herbarium DIY (Herbarium Room);
6. Visit herbarium of Hunan Agricultural University;
7. Plant Science Laboratory Open Day: National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Plant Science (Demonstration and Practice of Photosynthesis Meter Operation), Key Laboratory of Plant Hormones and Growth and Development of Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Plant Growth Regulators of Hunan Province (observation of photosynthetic pigment absorption Spectrum).

Activity Content:

1. In mid-May, jointly with “Key Laboratory of Protection of Mountain Plant Resources and Germplasm Innovation of Ministry of Education” and “Plant Conservation Technology Application Engineering Center in Guizhou Province”, the exhibition and lectures on popular science knowledge of rice, rape and other cereals and oils focused on the safety of high-quality cereals and oils will be carried out.
2. In September, the popularization lecture of modern high-efficiency agriculture with mountain characteristics will be organized, so as to popularize the knowledge of plant and food safety to the whole people.

Activity Content:

1. Plant report for popular science: The City and the Agricultural Development, The Human Domestication of Plants, The Hhalophytes, The Agriculture and Food Security, The Future of Food, From the Table to the Farmland, Plants and Human Health, The Magic of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Journal of Marine plants, and Plants and Art (building, garden) etc.
2. “Plants and Health” Popularization Exhibition
3. Laboratory Open Day activities: to visit Fairy Lake Botanical Garden and Laboratory of Genomics Institute.

Activity contents:

1. Get to know plants on Nankai University campus. What plants are there in Nankai University? Understand the close relationship between plants and carbon sequestration, and know the importance of carbon sinks and their far-reaching significance for human survival and development.
2. Closely contact with plants, observe soil growth and grow plants in nutrient solution. Guide primary and secondary school students and their parents to visit the plant cultivation room and observe the morphology of soil and hydroponics plants; Gain insight into the process of plant growth and development.
3. Observe the morphology and movement of Elodea canadensis Michx. chloroplasts under microscope. The Nankai University Plant Laboratory is equipped with microscopes that will demonstrate how to use microscopes to observe chloroplasts of Elodea canadensis Michx.. Through it, participants can observe the movement of protoplasts and chloroplasts in living plant cells, allowing them to experience the magic of chloroplast, the main organelle responsible for carbon fixation of plants, and taste the charm of plants.
4. Expand on the idea of carbon sinks. Through on-site explanation by professors and doctors from Nankai University, participants can deeply understand the concept of carbon sink and its significance based on what they see and hear on the day of the activity. And the relationship between plants and carbon sinks and between humans and nature is also introduced through the distribution of brochures and souvenirs.
5. Sow the seeds of “hope”. In this activity, the Society will prepare mysterious plant seeds and distribute them to each child, so that they can water them with “love”, enjoy the fun of plant growth, and sow a little hope for the human carbon sink project.