Report Presentation: China's Drive for Food Sovereignty

We warmly invite you to the public presentation of our latest Agrifood Report on developments in China’s food sector and opportunities for international collaboration. Our researchers will present the findings, followed by a moderated discussion and an interactive Q&A with the audience. It promises to be a lively and insightful exchange.

Key takeaways of the report:

• China is prioritising food security as a strategic issue.
• Agriculture is shifting toward sustainability and smarter management.
• Demand is growing for knowledge-driven, long-term partnerships.
• Real opportunities exist — but so do geopolitical and policy risks.
• Collaboration works best when solutions are locally adapted.

Why attend:

• Get fresh, policy-relevant insights first-hand.
• Join the conversation with leading experts.
• Network with peers across research, policy, and industry.

About the authors:

• Dr. Tan Yujing is a lecturer at the Institute for Area Studies and International Studies. Her research focuses on innovation in China, particularly the role of the state in socio-economic transformation, as well as comparative studies of local governance in China and the EU.
• Dr. Pieter Zwaan is Senior Research Fellow on EU Agricultural Policy at the EU & Global Affairs Unit and Assistant Professor / Senior Lecturer in Public Administration at the Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen. His research focuses on multi-level and collaborative governance, as well as the implementation, evaluation, and evidence use in EU policy-making, particularly in agricultural and environmental policy.
• Dr. Didi Qian is the founder and CEO of Demeter42, a Wageningen University & Research spin-off developing AI-based decision support systems for greenhouse horticulture. She holds a PhD from Wageningen University & Research and has experience in international greenhouse projects as former Area Manager China at Delphy. Her work focuses on autonomous cultivation and data-driven, resource-efficient greenhouse systems.
• Dr. Irna Hofman is a Lecturer at Leiden University and a rural development sociologist specialising in social and agrarian change in Central Asia. She conducted extensive fieldwork in the region, obtained her PhD from Leiden University in 2019, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford (2019–2022). She remains affiliated with Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment.