On July 22-25^th 2009, Researcher Nie Fengying and Associate Researcher Zhang Li from the International Information Research Office of the Agricultural Information Institute (AII) were invited to participate in the Knowledge Networking for Rural Development in Asia/Pacific Region (ENRAP) seminar held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. At the meeting, experts from the Asia-Pacific region conducted in-depth discussions on the impact of information technology on rural development. At the same time, the organizing units of the seminar, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Practical Action also provided systematic training to participants on project proposal writing standards, budget allocation, project implementation monitoring, project outcome dissemination and other related management procedures, to further enhancing the project execution ability of all project researchers.

In 2009, the team led by Researcher Nie Fengying applied for the ENRAP China project "Integration of Three Networks to Promote Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Areas of Ningxia, China" and was approved. This project based on extensive research and unified research framework and method, established an evaluation index system to evaluate the impact of rural informatization in Ningxia's "three network integration" on rural production and life; Analyzed the practices and successful experience of rural informatization construction in Ningxia, China, and identified bottlenecks in its development; Explored the relationship between rural informatization and the framework of rural sustainable development. Finally, based on the research, policy recommendations for utilizing rural information technology to improve the livelihoods of farmers are proposed to international organizations and relevant government departments. The project is jointly funded by IDRC and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The successful application and implementation of the ENRAP international project will provide a good platform for AII to further expand its international cooperation areas and fully demonstrate its scientific research capabilities.