The 5th Annual Conference of IGU Commission on Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering (IGU-AGLE) was successfully held in Hanzhong, China on 5 - 9 May 2023. The conference was jointly organized by the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(IGSNRR, CAS), Shaanxi University of Technology, and the People's Government of Hanzhong Municipality. More than 400 experts and specialists from Asia, Europe, Oceania, and various universities in China participated in the conference.

　　Distinguished attendees and keynote speakers included Michael Meadows, President of IGU and Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa; FU Bojie, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician of The Word Academy Sciences, and Director of Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of Chinese Academy of Sciences; SHAO Ming'an, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Researcher fellow of the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of CAS & MWR; CAO Jinghua, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO); LIU Yansui, Academician of The Word Academy Sciences, Fellow of the Chinese Geographical Society, and Director of the Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mihajlo Jakovljevic, Academician of The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (UNECSO-TWAS) and Professor at the University of Kragujevac, Serbia; Guy M. Robinson, Professor of Department of Geography, Environment, and Population at the University of Adelaide, Australia; Coline Perrin, Professor at the French National Institute for Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Research (INRAE); LONG Hualou, Academician of the British Academy Distinguished Professor of the Chang Jiang Scholars Program，and Professor at Guangxi University; HU Yiyuan, Dean and Professor of the School of Economics, Management, and Law at Shaanxi University of Technology; GUO Zhisheng, Deputy Mayor of The People’s Government of Hanzhong Municipality; ZHANG Jun, County Mayor of The People’s Government, Yang County.

　　The conference aimed to promote the organic integration of academic exchanges, government decision-making and enterprise practice, and invited academicians, experts, government officials, and enterprise representatives to deliver speeches on the same stage. Research achievements, development plans, and geographic products were fully displayed, and arrangements were made for report exchanges, base observations, and on-site inspections. For the first time, the conference established awards for Best papers, Outstanding Presentations, and Corporate Practices. In collaboration with the internationally renowned journal "Land Use Policy," a special issue on "Sustainable Land Use and Rural Revitalization Against Global Challenges" was set up to recommend outstanding conference papers for publication, creating a favorable atmosphere for academic exchanges, scientific research, and application cooperation in rural revitalization.

　　The conference consisted of five parts: Opening Ceremony, Plenary Presentation, Theme Presentation, Parallel Sessions on Special Topics, and The Closing Ceremony.

　　(1) Opening Ceremony. On the morning of May 6th, the opening ceremony was chaired by Guy M. Robinson, Co-Chair of IGU-AGLE. Michael Meadows, President of the IGU; LIU Yansui, Chair of IGU-AGLE; WANG Jianping, Deputy Secretary of the Hanzhong Municipal Party Committee and Mayor; and ZHAO Xiaolin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shaanxi University of Technology, delivered speeches respectively, expressing their warm congratulations on the successful convening of the international conference and introducing the role and mission of the International Geographical Union, the organization and theme of the forum, the advantages and characteristics of Hanzhong's location and industries, and the development and service of Shaanxi University of Technology. President Michael Meadows highly praised China's achievements in poverty alleviation and commended the outstanding contributions made by Chinese geographers in addressing key issues such as comprehensive rural revitalization.

Guy M Robinson opened the conference

                                                                         Michael Meadows                                                                                    LIU Yansui