2016 will mark the 5th annual International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Exposure-4-Development Tour, and this year’s attendees will get the opportunity to explore agriculture and mechanization in China!

The attendees, a group of 12 jury-selected journalists from around the world, will have the chance to travel through Beijing, Changzhou and Shanghai, China, for a first-hand look at farming and development in the world’s most populous country.

Journalists will meet farmers and visit dairy and produce farms in two Chinese provinces, see the world’s most advanced tractor factory, which produces Massey Ferguson Global Series tractors scaled for small-scale farmers, meet the network behind one of the world’s most creative machinery marketing programs: AGCO’s distribution partnership with virtual marketing giant Alibaba.

The group will also meet in the nation’s capital with officials and Chinese journalists for an in-depth exploration of China’s agricultural policy.

The tour will begin in Beijing on 23 September 2016 and depart Shanghai on 30 September. Each participant will be responsible for his/her travel arrangements and costs to and from China. Tour expenses for the week in China will be 400 euros. All lodging and in-country travel, and most meals, will be covered under the tour. Each participant will receive an official letter of invitation from AGCO and IFAJ, which can be used to arrange a press visa for the trip through the Chinese Consulate in the journalist’s home country.

Interested journalists can click this link to download the application form. Once the form is completed, applicants must send it to their guild representative, and have their guild fill in this application their behalf. Every guild can submit one nominee and one alternate.

Submit samples of your work as requested in the application. Deadline for guilds to submit their nominees is 10 July 2016. Participants will be selected by 29 July.