Summary

New technologies and innovative agricultural practices together with a guidance of policy and decision makers will optimize the agricultural production and protect the environment in intensive Chinese agriculture. The project will strongly contribute to extending technology in China by formulating and implementing agro-tech extension programs, by introducing, testing and demonstrating new techniques, products, innovative management practices and extension work in different representative cropping systems and for different farm sizes. The aim is to reduce the excessive mineral nitrogen fertilization for a highly sustainable and resource-saving production in intensive Chinese agriculture. Improvements in nitrogen and water management will be able to dramatically optimize China’s agriculture in terms of productivity, cost efficiency, resilience and self-sufficiency, to protect the environment from nitrogen pollution, to decrease global warming and to relieve the energy crisis.