The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the international non-profit organization Nuffield International (NI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Brisbane, Australia to jointly promote the “Agricultural Leadership Development Initiative.” From 2026 and 2030, this initiative will be integrated with the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiatives to cultivate young agricultural talents and elites in Taiwan. This new initiative aims to enhance Taiwan’s international competitiveness and influence while amplifying Taiwan's voice in global agriculture.

The MOA explains that NI was founded in 1947 as a result of a British initiative and is a globally renowned non-profit organization, with ten member countries including the UK, France, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada. It focuses on fostering the linking of agricultural leadership, cooperation, and development opportunities.Throgh an introduction by the Australia Office Taipei in September of 2024, the MOA for the first time hosted a delegation of agricultural experts from Nuffield Australia (which is supported by Australia’s Future Drought Fund). Taiwan took the opportunity to gain a better understanding of NI’s long-term global impact. The organization has thus far trained over 2,000 agricultural experts and specialists.

The two parties signed the MOU on cooperation based on the similarity between NI’s objectives and Taiwan’s aims to promote the international engagement of young people working in agriculture, plus the fact that when the multinational team of NI scholars visited Taiwan, they were deeply impressed by the capabilities of Taiwan’s farmers and the government’s policies to support the production of premium agricultural products. With its entry, Taiwan becomes only the second NI signatory nation in Asia aside from Japan. In the future there will be cooperative promotion of a series of programs for training talent for the agricultural sector and assistance in helping young Taiwanese engage with the global community.

The MOA states that in the future, via NI’s “Global Focus Program” and in connection with international agricultural research institutions and experts, it will promote technology sharing and strategic cooperation for agricultural development. It will also combine the Young Agricultural Ambassadors New Southbound Policy Exchange Program and the NT$10 billion Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative and, along with NI, jointly promote the “Next-Gen Agricultural Youth Leadership Camp.” The organizers will select and train young agricultural talent with potential and assist young people in agriculture to strengthen their leadership skills, international perspective, and competitiveness through transnational learning and exchanges, to tackle the challenges facing global agriculture.

Hsiou Dong-chong, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of International Affairs, and Nuffield International CEO Jodie Redcliffe signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation, with William Fan, director-general of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane, Australia (fourth from left) and Kelly Porter, Agricultural Director of Australian Office Taipei (fourth from right) in attendance.