Dr. Muhammad Yaseen, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FFANR) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), participated in the Global Smart Education Conference 2026, held from 18–21 August 2026 in Beijing, China, where he served as a speaker and panelist in discussions on smart villages, rural education, and sustainable rural transformation.
As part of the conference, Dr. Yaseen participated in the session “Smart Villages and Education for Rural Transformation,” which brought together policymakers, academics, education specialists, industry representatives, and development practitioners from around the world to exchange experiences and perspectives on how education, digital technologies, and innovation can contribute to rural development.
Dr. Yaseen delivered a presentation titled “From Agricultural Talent to Smart Villages: Connecting Education, Technology and Rural Transformation.” Drawing on his work in agribusiness, climate-smart agriculture, agro-food value chains, technology adoption, and rural development, he emphasized that the development of smart villages requires more than the introduction of new technologies.
“A smart village is not created simply by bringing smart technology into a village. It requires people who can understand, adapt, and use technology to address their own local challenges,” he said.
His presentation emphasized the importance of building agricultural talent by connecting universities and research institutions with farmers, rural youth, extension services, government agencies, and the private sector. He highlighted the need for a rural learning ecosystem where scientific knowledge and local experience are brought together to support practical learning, innovation, and technology adoption.
He noted that introducing a new agricultural technology alone does not guarantee adoption. Farmers also need practical training, demonstrations, locally relevant information, and a clear understanding of the economic and livelihood benefits of new practices. He further emphasized that rural communities should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of innovation, but as active partners in identifying local challenges, adapting solutions, and generating knowledge.
Dr. Yaseen also emphasized the importance of equipping farmers and rural youth with a wider range of capabilities, including digital skills, agribusiness and entrepreneurship knowledge, market information, value-chain understanding, and data-informed decision-making. Such skills, he noted, can help rural communities move beyond primary agricultural production toward value addition, improved market access, entrepreneurship, and stronger rural industries.
During the roundtable discussion on “multi-stakeholder dialogue for rural education and sustainable development”, Dr. Yaseen emphasized that universities cannot drive rural transformation alone. Effective smart-village development requires collaboration among universities, governments, extension and vocational education institutions, the private sector, and rural communities themselves.
His key message to the session was that “smart villages require not only smart technologies, but smart people, smart institutions, and smart partnerships.”
Through his participation, Dr Yaseen shared AIT’s perspectives and experience on agricultural and rural development while engaging with international experts on emerging approaches to digital transformation, education, lifelong learning, and sustainable rural development.
The Global Smart Education Conference 2026 was co-hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU) and UNESCO IITE. The parallel session “Smart Villages and Education for Rural Transformation” was jointly organized by UNESCO INRULED, SEAMEO RECSAM, SEAMEO STEM-ED, and the Obreal Global Observatory.
