China’s “twin courtyards” plan aims to boost food security globally
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Chinese agricultural experts are launching a plan to improve food production and incomes in the “Global South” by establishing paired “科技小院” (keji xiaoyuan, or “technology courtyards”) both in China and overseas.
Zhang Fushuo, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, formally released the “科技小院 Outbound Plan” at the 2026 World Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Conference in Beijing. The plan prioritizes increasing food availability, raising incomes, promoting green development, and building local capacity.
The concept originated in 2009 in Quzhou, Hebei province, where researchers worked directly with farmers. Over 17 years, around 5,400 technology courtyards have been established across China, involving nearly 30,000 teachers and students who have helped over 20 million farmers increase yields. Studies show the courtyards can increase production of wheat, corn, and rice by around 11 percent while reducing fertilizer and pesticide use by about 30 percent.
The outbound plan involves creating “twin” courtyards, one in China focused on a specific crop and a corresponding courtyard in a country in the Global South, built by students who have studied in China. These courtyards will share knowledge, varieties, and techniques, and be supported by Chinese businesses providing equipment and expertise. The initiative will begin with 20 international courtyards in Hainan province, China, and 20 overseas, with plans to expand to 100 of each in the future.
