Henry van Burgsteden

Senior Innovation Officer - Office of Innovation, FAO

Henry is a national of the Netherlands with 20 years of experience in digital innovation. He has always explored new boundaries for the use of digital solutions for agrifood systems transformation and accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He firmly believes digital technologies are a powerful means of implementing agrifood systems transformation through speed and scale of uptake; reduced deployment costs; growth in public awareness, etc. In the framework of FAO’s work, it is about creating value and impact for achieving the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, the FAO Science and Innovation strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) action agenda, leaving no one behind. He leads the FAO Programme Priority Area on Digital Agriculture that is part of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, and leads the Digital Agriculture Unit in the FAO Office of Innovation, and acts as Lead Technical Officer of the Global Network of Digital Agriculture Innovation Hubs.

Haiyan Cen

Professor and the Vice Dean - College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University

Dr. Haiyan Cen received her Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University in 2011 and continued postdoctoral research at the MSU/USDA-ARS Lab. Her research focuses on agro-optics and imaging, particularly light interactions with plants and optical sensing applications in phenotyping and agricultural machinery. She has published over 70 journal articles and 40 conference papers, and holds multiple patents and software copyrights. Her work has earned her several awards, including recognitions from ASABE, the Ministry of Education of China, and Zhejiang University.
Dr. Cen is a longtime member of ASABE, currently serving as Chair of its ITSC Community and Associate Editor for two leading journals in the field.

Yunpeng Cui

Professor & Doctoral Supervisor (Researcher) - Institute of Agricultural Information, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)

Director, Agricultural Big Data Mining Laboratory, CAAS
Chief Scientist, Agricultural Cognitive Computing Systems Research and Application Innovation Team, CAAS
Executive Deputy Director, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Big Data, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China

Yong (Walter) Ge

Founder and Managing Director - Green Startups

He has 15 years of experience in mentoring and accelerating green startups, particularly in agri-tech, and is a pioneer in agricultural impact investing in China. He holds an EMBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is the Founding Partner of Green Leaf Ventures, focusing on sustainable agritech investments, and the Founder and Managing Director of Green Startups, a platform combining acceleration and impact investing for early-stage green ventures.
He previously served as a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, co-launching the China Cleantech Nexus, and as Director of New Ventures China, promoting green SME development. Walter also serves as a mentor and expert judge for various innovation platforms, including the Global Agri-inno Challenge (FAO & Zhejiang University), Plug & Play, TusStar, Tsinghua x-lab, and HICOOL.

Kaidi Hou

Vice President - Pinduoduo

Oversees public relations, corporate responsibility, and the Agricultural Strategy Committee. She drives partnerships with global institutions to advance agricultural innovation, improve farming techniques, and boost smallholder incomes.
Since 2018, she has spearheaded initiatives such as the Duo Duo Agricultural Research Competition and Global AgriInno Challenge, accelerating AI-powered crop cultivation technologies.
Her work supports training at over 1,800 Science and Technology Field Stations, helping accelerate the branding of new agricultural products (e.g., Yanshu 25 sweet potatoes) through campaigns such as the Harvest Festival.

Lu Jiang

Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist - Office of Innovation, FAO

She is an experienced expert in digital agriculture and innovation, with a strong educational background and extensive professional experience. She currently serves as an expert in digital agriculture and innovation at the FAO, where she is responsible for promoting digital reform and innovation in agriculture.
Previously, she served as the secretary-General and operations director of the Hangzhou Entrepreneurship Support Foundation. During her tenure, she successfully established and managed multiple entrepreneurship support projects and activities, serving more than 25,000 entrepreneurs and helping to achieve more than 24 million yuan in equity investment and financing for entrepreneurial ventures.

Kemo Jin

Associate Professor - College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University

Dr. Kemo Jin is an Associate Professor at the College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, and affiliated with the National Academy of Agriculture Green Development and the Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education. Her research focuses on root physiology, particularly how roots adapt to compacted and structured soils through root–soil interactions. She earned her Ph.D. from China Agricultural University and completed research at Rothamsted Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, and Penn State University.
Since 2022, she has led the Science and Technology Backyard (STB) initiative in Dali, Yunnan. Her work integrates field-scale system innovation with interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable agriculture, including nutrient–water dynamics, plant–microbe interactions, and rural revitalization strategies through government–enterprise–farmer collaboration and digital tools.

Xinde Liang

Deputy Secretary - General, Zhejiang Provincial Sports Tourism Industry Promotion Association， Sailing Technical Official, 19th Asian Games

Notable Achievements:

• Grand Slam of Cross-Country Racing Across Seven Continents and Polar Regions
• 2019 Champion – Taiwan Island Circumnavigation Ultra Marathon (1,045 km)
• 2016 Polar March Grand Slam Champion (1,000 km)
• 2020 Historic First Crossing of Kubuqi Desert (400 km)
• 2023 Champion – Ultra Marathon Around France (3,682 km in 63 days)
• 2024 Summit of Muztagh Ata Peak (7,546 m)
• 2024 South America (Brazil) 10-Day 1,000 km Ultra Marathon Grand Slam Champion

Wen Liu

Full-time trainer, Fun Nature outward development Group

Wen Liu graduated from Department of Psychology, Xi`an Physical Education University got Bachelor of Science degree; then learned sports humanistic sociology and the research filed is sports psychology in Yangzhou University, got Master of Education degree. She went to Guyana in south America as a member of Chinese youth volunteer. She taught students sports there and spread Chinese sports culture such as Taiji. She also usually represented the member of Chinese Embassy to do the foreign affairs. Now she is a full-time trainer, an English trainer of Fun Nature outward development Group, Shanghai.

Junying Liang

Director of Global Engagement Office - Dean of International College, Zhejiang University

Junying Liang, full professor in psycholinguistics and translation studies at School of International Studies, Zhejiang University. She holds a doctorate degree in cognitive psychology, and her current research focuses on psychological approaches to interpreting studies. She publishes extensively in journals featuring interdisciplinarity: Experimental Brain Research, Physics of Life Reviews, and serves as the associate editor for Frontiers in Psychology (Language Sciences), Frontiers in Communication (Language Sciences), and Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science. Currently, she has been leading a National Social Sciences Funding project on interpreting studies and an interdisciplinary program featuring Big Data PLUS Language Universals and Cognition.

Fruit Tessema

Innovation Specialist (Digital Agriculture) - Office of innovation, FAO

Fruit is a Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy, where she has been driving agri-tech innovation. Her work focuses on supporting digital agriculture hubs, fostering collaboration among startups, public institutions, and private sectors, and scaling digital innovation for agrifood systems transformation.
Previously, she served as a Project Coordinator for Innovation for project at UNDP Ethiopia where she played key role in strengthening Ethiopia’s innovation ecosystem, supported SMEs and startups, and enhanced institutional capacities for entrepreneurship and economic growth. She also held roles as an Investment Expert at the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute and as a Senior Product and Service Engineering Expert at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology, where she led technology.
She is a dedicated advocate for women in STEM, fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research & Development (AWARD) fellowship and an active member of the Society of Women in Science and Technology (SEWIST).

Nikola Trendov

Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist - Office of Innovation, FAO

Nikola Trendov is an expert in the digital transformation of agrifood systems, recognized for his significant contributions to digital agriculture strategies, digital innovation hubs, and innovation capabilities across both developed and developing countries.He currently serves as a Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), where he co-leads the Digital Agriculture Innovation Team within the Office of Innovation. In this role, he is dedicated to advancing digital innovation initiatives in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on ensuring inclusivity and leaving no one behind.Prior to joining the FAO, Nikola worked in the private sector and with civil society organizations, where he coordinated various digital agriculture projects and led capacity development initiatives in the field.
He has received several awards and scholarships in recognition of his academic excellence in agrifood systems and digital transformation.Nikola holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Innovation Systems and Technologies from the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where he also contributed extensively to research during his time as a researcher.

Longbao Wei

Director- Food and Agribusiness Management Institute, Zhejiang University

From 1994 to 2023, Professor Wei held key leadership roles at Zhejiang University, including Deputy Dean of the School of Management and the China Academy for Rural Development. His research centers on agricultural policy, agribusiness, and digital agriculture. He has led 30+ national and international projects and published over 100 papers and 14 books.
He directed the CIDA project on rural transformation, the largest social science collaboration in ZJU’s history, and co-founded two international training programs. As co-lead of the FAO-ZJU team, he organized Digital Agriculture Forums and co-authored FAO’s 2021 Digital Agriculture Report.
Dr. Wei was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard, adjunct professor at the University of Guelph, and visiting scholar at Iowa State and FAO. He sits on IFAMA’s board and was named IFAMA Fellow of the Year in 2019. He earned all his degrees at Zhejiang University.

Puyun Yang

Agricultural Officer - Office of Innovation, FAO

He holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy and is currently an Agricultural Officer and Co-Lead of the Research, Biotechnology, and Extension Unit in FAO’s Office of Innovation. He provides policy and technical support in agricultural research and extension, with a focus on innovation in Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS), including digital AEAS and best practices.His recent work emphasizes co-innovation approaches through Multi-Actor Agricultural Innovation Platforms (MAIPs), such as the Science and Technology Backyard (STB) model. He also advises FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, offering AEAS-related guidance.
He began his career in 1989 as an Assistant Agronomist at China’s General Station of Plant Protection. From 1992 to 2011, he served at the National Agro-technical Extension and Service Center (NATESC), MARA, as Agronomist, then Senior Agronomist. From 2012 to 2019, he was Extension Professor.He was appointed Deputy Director of NATESC’s International Cooperation Division in 1995 and Director of the Crop Pest Control Division in 2010. He joined FAO in 2019 as Agricultural Officer in the former Research and Extension Unit.