Image Credit: Pinzhang Li
A student from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources was recently selected out of a pool of candidates from universities around the country to attend the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture. A senior in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Pinzhang Li will be seated among some of the nation’s leading agricultural experts at this national event held Feb. 20th and 21st in Arlington, Va.
Graduate and undergraduate students from across the country interested in attending the event were asked to submit an application essay. Undergraduates were asked to describe what they thought of “Agriculture as a Career,” while graduate students were asked about “The Greatest Challenge Facing Agriculture Over the Next 5 Years.”
Of those whom applied, only 20 undergraduates and 10 graduate students were invited to witness this prestigious panel of agriculture professionals.
“It is an honor to be able to attend the forum,” says Li. “This opportunity in itself coupled with the forum events will allow me and other students to learn about agribusiness, future trends, and policy in contemporary agriculture.”
After graduation, Li aspires to become involved with developing policy for land use and urban development and says he’s looking forward to learning “about different stakeholders, business functions and processes, research and development, and modern research initiatives going on across the United States.”
However, Li’s agricultural ambitions are not contained within the borders of the Unities States. In his application essay discussing “Agriculture as a Career,” Li describes the impact that his family’s more than 100-year-old agricultural roots have had upon his future endeavors. Belonging to a family of farmers in North China, Li recalls planting tomatoes with his father when he was only nine, saying, “It sparked my curiosity, providing me a lifelong ambition for macroscopic exploration.” This ambition only strengthened with time as China’s urbanization drastically changed his family’s way of life.
“Fifteen years ago, my grandparents had 13 acres of land which were enough to support the entire family,” Li explains. However, because of the process of urbanization, there are only two acres of land left.”
“This is exactly what [is] happening in most of China’s villages,” Li continued. “Although China’s success in feeding its citizens is remarkable, the potential threats of the reduction in arable lands are growing.”
However, according to Li, the issue lies in land ownership. “The land in China is government-owned, and farmers usually plant on a plot which they ‘own’ for several years…Thus, the absence of clear property rights creates an inefficient market.”
Li has seen, “some of the most productive lands converted to other uses because of exurban and suburban developments,” and as a result, Li hopes to “work for an organization that helps to provide local communities with better and wiser ways to use and protect their land...ensuring food safety in the 21st century and beyond.”
Yuandong Qi, a graduate student in the Agriculture and Resource Economics program at UMD, was the first to tell Li about this USDA event. Having attended the forum as an undergraduate, Qi told Li about how the forum contributed to his graduate studies and opened many new doors for him.
Also, Li’s academic advisor, Adaire Parker, offered her encouragement and support. If it were not for Parker, Li says, “I would not…[have] even applied to the forum. She is the best academic advisor I have ever met.”
Driven to revitalize international family farming, much like his own, Li has high hopes that the USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum will provide him with the professional insight and resources necessary to achieve his agricultural aspirations.
“This Forum will equip me [with] the up-to-date ideas and methodologies in this field,” Li says, adding he is very grateful to all those that encouraged him to take advantage of this opportunity.
