The Establishment of IAMFE Chinese Branch

The IAMFE Chinese Branch was set up on 20th October 1994. It also is a Sub-committee of Mechanization of Field Experiments for Seed Breeding under the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering.

It is an exchange channel of technology and personnel for inland China and international; It is an organizer for research and extension of mechanization of field experiments; It is a stage for collaboration between seed breeders and mechanization engineers.
Prof. Egil Oyjord contributes his strong support to Chinese Branch. In 1983, he received his first invitation from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to lecture at a symposium for Chinese scientists at Beijing Agricultural University.
In 1994 the IAMFE 9th International Conference was very successfully hold in Beijing. Prof. Oyjord coordinated the conference and bore testimony to the setting up of IAMFE Chinese Branch. Professor Oyjord was appointed “Honorary Professor of Beijing Agricultural Engineering University in 1994.” Upon changing the name of the University in 1995 this honourable professorship was transferred to China Agricultural University, Beijing. Vice Minister of Agriculture in China, Mr. Liu Cheng Guo awarded a plaque stating:? “Your outstanding contributions have brought the good name of ‘Oyjord’ to all over the world and most gratefully to China ”
From then we set up strong links with IAMFE secretary Mr. Torbjorn Leuchovus, Dr. h.c.Hans-Ulrich Hege, Mr. Werner Betzwar and other friends. We feel IAMFE is a warm family.

China needs the technology of mechanization of field experiments. Before 1970s sowing and harvesting for field experiment were mainly carried out by manual labor. In 1978 China stared to import professional machinery for field experiments. After Chinese Branch set up more Wintersteiger and Hege’s machinery are introduced into China. The working efficiency and quality of field experiments was sharply increased.
Under the influence of the imported machinery, China started to design and manufacture its own machinery. Hongxinglong Institute in Helongjiang province and Xinxiang first Tractor Factory in Henan province were the main manufacturers. We got the fund from Norwegian Royer Research Foundation. Under Prof. Oyjord’s help we send four Professors to Norway, Sweden to deeply learn the technology of mechanization for field experiments. 35 Chinese students joined the Oyjord’s lectures during they worked on Norwegian farm in summer holiday. These activates have strongly supported Chinese development on mechanization of field experiments. With the assistance of Professor Oyjord a text book called “Mechanization of field experiments and modernization of seed processing” was published by China Agricultural University in1998. This textbook is used in the education of students at Chinese Agricultural Universities. We also organized the big delegations to participate the French, England and Russia IAMFE conferences.
The IAMFE Chinese branch is weak at the link with the breeders. The new leadership from 2003 has obviously changed the configuration. The standing vice president and the secretary were selected from the seed breeders. A web site has been set up. We are preparing to join the IAU operation and plan to hold the training course in China.