Transforming Horticulture Through Global Partnerships: A Visit to Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU)

From 13–17 December 2025, Dr  Naalamle Amissah, PhD, and Freda E. Asem, PhD, visited Prof. Huang Yuan to explore collaboration in horticultural science and innovation. During the visit, Dr Naalamle Amissah delivered a seminar titled “Transforming the Horticulture Sector in Ghana: Opportunities for Collaboration.” The seminar sparked discussions on how the two groups can work together to develop resilient vegetable varieties, strengthen seed systems, and build human capacity across the horticultural value chain. Areas such as joint research on climate-resilient crops, and training for young scientists were explored.

The delegation toured several of HZAU’s advanced research and innovation facilities, including the National Center for Vegetable Improvement and commercial seedling enterprises. These visits provided firsthand exposure to cutting-edge breeding pipelines, nursery management systems, and controlled-environment production (including modern greenhouse and plant factory concepts). Insights from these facilities are directly relevant to scaling up high-quality seedling production and protected cultivation systems in West Africa.

Strategic meetings with senior faculty and research leaders focused on concrete pathways for collaboration. Key themes included postgraduate training opportunities, exchanges, and jointly supervised research in horticultural crop improvement. The discussions also highlighted strong potential for collaborative work on adapting plant factory and controlled-environment technologies to West African conditions, as well as building private-sector partnerships for robust seedling and nursery systems.

As a major outcome, plans are currently being explored to formalise the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University of Ghana and Huazhong Agricultural University. This MoU will provide a framework for long-term cooperation in vegetable breeding, sustainable horticultural intensification, and innovation-driven food system transformation.

This visit was made possible with support from the Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation, whose investment in academic exchange is helping to build the next generation of leaders in sustainable agriculture and horticulture.