Ana Carolina Palazzo grew up in the countryside of Brazil, where her early exposure to agriculture sparked a lifelong passion to further explore the subject. A pivotal chapter in her journey was her experience in China, a major agricultural powerhouse.
Palazzo earned a full scholarship to pursue a master's degree in contemporary Chinese studies at the Silk Road School of Renmin University of China. Starting in early 2023, she spent seven months at RUC's Suzhou Campus in Jiangsu province.
Her class had 25 students from 23 countries, spanning nearly every continent. This multicultural environment left a lasting impression on her.
"Exchange programs like this are very meaningful, as they create more opportunities for young people to interact and build a future of cooperation," she said.
During field trips with her international peers, Palazzo was deeply impressed by China's agricultural innovation.
In a village in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, for example, she was amazed by how local family farms maximized small spaces for production using advanced technology, rather than relying on large plots of land. She also noticed the wide variety of agricultural products from different regions of China available in supermarkets.
"One similarity between China and Brazil is that both countries focus on improving land productivity," she said. "However, China is more advanced in its use of technology. In some areas, I saw farmers building vertical farms for swine, something I have never seen in Brazil."
With a degree in agriculture and a strong background in agribusiness, Palazzo believes that agricultural production is not just about farming — it's deeply intertwined with economics, politics, culture, logistics, and marketing.
"I see a whole environment related to food and energy production," she said.
Her visit to Yiwu, the largest small commodity market in China, located in Zhejiang, quickly confirmed this perspective.
She learned that as far back as the 1600s, people in Yiwu would carry small items like sewing needles, thread, and sugar chunks in bamboo baskets, using shoulder poles to transport them. They would trade these goods with rural villages for chicken feathers, which were either used as fertilizer for local farms or made into feather dusters for export. Over time, this practice became an integral part of Yiwu's culture.
Today, as Palazzo explained, the Yiwu International Trade Market serves as a hub that links logistics, modern commerce, and a wide variety of products — from everyday items to luxury goods, technological innovations, industrial products, and much more.
One phrase she once heard about Yiwu particularly stood out to her: "In Yiwu, you can find the unthinkable, but never the unbuyable."
Palazzo also visited the Yiwu-Europe freight train, which travels from Yiwu to Madrid, Spain. This train is a key part of the China-Europe freight network, supporting the growing demand for international trade among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Palazzo currently leads the agri-inputs department at a company in Brazil, where she is actively involved in the agribusiness sector and works closely with many Chinese companies.
"My study experience in China gave me a whole new perspective on the industry," she said. It helped her better understand the dynamics of the Chinese market and how to work with Chinese entrepreneurs.
She believes there is immense potential for partnership between China and Brazil, as both countries are rich in natural resources and complement each other well in terms of industry and agriculture. With growing China-Brazil ties and China's expanding influence in the global economy, Palazzo has made collaboration with China a key part of her future career plans.
"There's no one I can think of who doesn't have a direct or indirect connection with China," she said. "Being aligned doesn't mean both countries will agree on everything; it simply means they can understand each other and find ways to cooperate."
Palazzo recalled a quote from a senior strategy executive at a major consulting firm: "Many people look for what is going to be the next China. Well, based on the data and estimates we have now, the next China is China!"
mengwenjie@i21st.cn
