Team ZQT-China is committed to addressing one of the pressing challenges in modern agriculture: herbicide residues and their negative impacts on crop rotation systems. By engineering E. coli, we designed a strain capable of simultaneously degrading chlorimuron-ethyl residues and secreting indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which not only reduces phytotoxicity but also promotes crop germination and soil health. This dual-function design enables our solution to not only alleviate current problems but also enhance both agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Figure 1: Relationship between the Project and the SDG Goals

Our project aligns closely with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger — by improving crop yields and ensuring food security;
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production — by reducing reliance on chemical pesticides and promoting green agricultural practices.

In addition, our Human Practices activities further extend the impact to:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being — by minimizing pesticide residues that may threaten human health;
• SDG 15: Life on Land — by protecting soil microbial diversity and supporting healthier ecosystems.

Our solution aims to achieve a balance between modern agriculture and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By using synthetic biology to degrade herbicide residues and promote crop growth, we hope to safeguard food security while protecting ecological integrity. Through this innovative approach, we strive to drive agriculture toward a greener, low-carbon, and more sustainable future, contributing to a win-win outcome of increased production and environmental protection.

According to the United Nations’ definition, sustainable development refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In the context of agriculture, this means not only ensuring food security and crop yields, but also reducing environmental damage and preserving the natural resources that future generations depend on for survival.

Our project focuses on the soybean–wheat crop rotation system. The overuse of chemical herbicides has led to soil pollution, reduced crop germination rates, and ecological imbalance. By engineering E. coli to degrade herbicide residues while simultaneously secreting indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to promote crop growth, we provide a dual solution that combines yield improvement with environmental protection. This direction is highly aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger — Agriculture is at the core of food security. By degrading herbicide residues and increasing wheat germination rates in the rotation system, our project directly contributes to yield improvement and ensures a more stable food supply. This is highly consistent with Target 2.4, which calls for sustainable food production systems and the implementation of resilient agricultural practices.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production — Our solution reduces reliance on chemical herbicides and promotes greener agricultural practices. By integrating residue degradation with growth promotion, we both reduce environmental waste and improve resource use efficiency. This aligns with Target 12.4 (achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes) and Target 12.5 (substantially reducing waste generation).
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being — Herbicide residues not only harm crops but may also pose potential risks to farmers’ and consumers’ health through soil and the food chain. By reducing harmful residues in farmland, our project helps protect human health and creates a safer agricultural environment. This is highly consistent with Target 3.9, which aims to substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals and environmental pollution.
• SDG 15: Life on Land — Soil health and biodiversity are fundamental to maintaining agricultural productivity and ecological resilience. Our project contributes to restoring soil balance by degrading herbicide residues. This aligns with Target 15.1 (ensuring the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems) and Target 15.3 (achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, combating desertification, and restoring degraded land).

Figure 2: Concept Map of Interviews

Our project places farmers at the center as the core users. Throughout the Human Practice process, as our research deepened, we continuously listened to and incorporated feedback from farmers, village committees, farms, and members of the scientific community, transforming these insights into driving forces for project iteration. It was through this cycle of interaction that our work gradually extended from practical applications in the field to broader efforts in social education.

Through ongoing dialogue and improvement, our project not only helps farmers better understand and address real challenges in their fields but also sparks public interest in green agriculture and sustainable development. We firmly believe that only with the joint participation of diverse social groups can we gradually shift collective mindsets and foster an atmosphere that advances society toward a greener, low-carbon, and sustainable future.

For more details, please refer to the Impact section of Human Practice.

SDG 2: Zero hunger

Figure 3: SDG 2 Zero Hunger

Agriculture is at the core of food security. We focus on managing chlorimuron-ethyl residues in the soybean–wheat rotation system. By using engineered bacteria to degrade residues and secrete IAA to promote crop germination, we aim to improve wheat germination rates and overall yield, directly contributing to increased food production. This direction is highly consistent with Target 2.4, which calls for ensuring sustainable food production systems by 2030 and implementing resilient agricultural practices to increase productivity and yield, help maintain ecosystems, enhance adaptation to climate change, and gradually improve land and soil quality.

Long-Term Impacts and Interactions

Positive Impacts:

• Social aspect: Increase wheat yield, ease food shortages, and enhance farmers’ confidence in production.
• Environmental aspect: Reduce soil and water pollution caused by chemical pesticide residues and improve land quality.
• Economic aspect: Lower the risk of yield loss caused by phytotoxicity, bring farmers more stable income, and promote the development of a green agricultural industry chain.

Potential Negative Impacts:

• The application of engineered bacteria in open farmland may raise biosafety concerns.
• Farmers may become overly reliant on biotechnological approaches, neglecting diversified agricultural management.
• During the promotion stage, insufficient understanding may lead to resistance or misunderstanding.

Countermeasures:

• Implement biosafety designs such as the temperature-controlled suicide system to ensure engineered bacteria are effectively eliminated after completing their task.
• Strengthen farmers’ understanding of sustainable farming through crop rotation calendars, training, and popular science outreach to avoid single reliance.
• Reduce public barriers to understanding by using multiple communication channels (interviews, educational materials, interactive activities) to ensure acceptance.

Our Actions and Contributions

In this goal, our role is not only that of technical developers, but also of researchers, designers, and promoters. Centered around SDG 2, we have carried out a variety of activities:

1、Crop rotation calenda

Figure 4: Crop Rotation Calendar

In our SDG practice, we specifically designed and created a crop rotation calendar, tailored to the actual farming schedule of the soybean–wheat rotation system, to provide farmers with a clear and scientific reference tool. Through this calendar, farmers can easily understand when to apply the engineered bacterial preparation during the rotation cycle—both reducing the phytotoxicity caused by chlorimuron-ethyl residues and promoting wheat germination and root development through IAA secretion.

For product application design, we ultimately confirmed the engineered bacterial preparation in the form of freeze-dried powder and defined the optimal usage method and timing:

• Usage method: dissolve the freeze-dried bacterial powder into a water solution and spray evenly onto farmland soil.
• Timing: it is recommended to spray 7–10 days after soybean harvest and before wheat sowing. This provides sufficient time for residue degradation while creating a more favorable ecological environment during wheat germination.

This design not only lowers the technical threshold—making it easy for farmers to use—but also precisely aligns the application rhythm of the bacterial preparation with the natural laws of crop rotation, significantly enhancing the practicality and feasibility of the solution.

Through the crop rotation calendar, we not only help farmers arrange their farming operations more scientifically to improve crop yield and field management efficiency, but also further advance the implementation of SDG 2.4: demonstrating how crop rotation models can both ensure increased food production and improve land-use efficiency, enhance soil quality, and strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems to environmental changes.

2、Interview with farm

Figure 5: Farm Interviews

During our farm visits, we directly listened to the most genuine needs and pain points of farmers and incorporated their feedback into our project design. In particular, our conversations with farm owners reinforced what we had previously learned from village committee discussions—that food production is not only about yield increase, but also involves practical issues such as straw management and the utilization of agricultural by-products. These insights inspired us to further explore the possibilities of straw recycling and integrate it into the broader promotion of green agriculture. At the same time, the feedback from farm owners became the starting point for a series of educational activities, helping more people recognize the importance of reducing dependence on chemical pesticides and developing sustainable agriculture. In practice, this has indirectly contributed to the realization of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

More importantly, this interview allowed us to further focus on SDG 2.4: by exploring straw recycling and biodegradation pathways, we demonstrated how to improve soil quality, increase land-use efficiency, and gradually enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to environmental changes, all while increasing crop yields.

3、Visit to Qingdao Agricultural Machinery Exhibition

Figure 6: Agricultural Machinery Exhibition

During our visit to the Agricultural Machinery Exhibition Hall at Qingdao Agricultural University, we gained a systematic understanding of various types of automated equipment used in crop rotation systems, including automated seeders, film-mulching machinery, pesticide spraying devices, and combine harvesting systems. This research gave us deeper insights into the automation and industrialization of modern agriculture, and reminded us of the need to consider how to achieve efficient large-scale field application of engineered bacteria.

In envisioning real-world implementation, we realized that factors such as strain preservation, activation steps, application methods, and precise timing are all critical determinants of practical effectiveness.

Through this visit, we further reflected on how to advance the realization of SDG 2.4: by relying on automation and mechanization, we can not only degrade herbicide residues on a larger scale and increase crop yields, but also improve land-use efficiency and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems at the operational level—thus providing a solid pathway toward building a sustainable food production system.

4、“The Land in My Eyes” Art Exhibition

Figure 7: Painting Reproductions from the Art Exhibition

We organized the “The Land in My Eyes” Art Exhibition, encouraging students to reflect on the relationship between people and the land through artistic expression. This was not only an act of creative expression but also an educational practice that transformed complex agricultural and ecological issues into vivid and intuitive visual language.

This activity represented a cross-boundary extension from farmland practice to broader social education. We recognize that driving green agricultural development requires not only technological innovation but also an overall elevation of social awareness. By cultivating public understanding of biology and agricultural sustainability from an early stage, we can gradually shift social mindsets and atmosphere, laying a solid societal foundation for the sustainable transformation of agriculture in the future.

At the level of SDG 2.4, our activity helped the public—especially students—understand and support sustainable food production systems. Through the reflections and awareness conveyed in their paintings, students began to recognize the close connection between agricultural practices and ecosystem protection. This cultivation of awareness empowers them to participate in, support, and promote resilient agricultural approaches in the future, contributing to higher productivity, better adaptation to climate change, and improvements in land and soil quality.

5、Establishment of Campus Ecology Day

Figure 8: U.S. Ecology Day Activities

We established “Ecology Day” on campus with the aim of integrating ecological awareness into the education system. This initiative allowed students to encounter issues related to the environment and agriculture within their studies, while also embedding the concept of green development into the everyday atmosphere of campus life.

Our activities extended agricultural issues into a broader sphere of public education. They not only fostered students’ sense of responsibility for environmental protection but also helped them recognize their potential roles in advancing green agriculture. By cultivating a green atmosphere and reinforcing the concept of sustainability, we reframed agriculture as not just the task of farmers, but as a shared responsibility of society as a whole.

At the level of SDG 2.4, Campus Ecology Day provided strong support for cultivating future social actors with sustainable mindsets. Through educational guidance, students gradually came to understand the importance of sustainable food production systems and conceptually embraced the value of resilient agriculture. This lays the groundwork for future agricultural practices, helping to enhance productivity, improve soil quality and the ecological environment, and ultimately safeguard long-term food security.

During the first Ecology Day, due to limited time, we only carried out poster promotion and project presentations. However, this very attempt inspired us to think further—about how to design more diverse forms of engagement in future Ecology Days. As a result, in subsequent activities, we organized wheat-based handicraft workshops and charity sales, enabling students to appreciate agricultural value through hands-on practice, while closely combining public welfare with agricultural education.

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

Figure 9: SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Sustainable agriculture is not only about yield but also about resource utilization and environmental protection. Through our dual-module design—engineered bacteria degrading chlorimuron-ethyl residues + secreting IAA to promote growth—our project reduces dependence on chemical herbicides and advances greener agricultural practices. This approach is highly aligned with Targets 12.4 and 12.5:

• Target 12.4: Achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes, minimizing their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
• Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation, particularly through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.

By biologically degrading chlorimuron-ethyl efficiently, we lower the risk of chemical accumulation in soil and water, indirectly reducing the extra resource waste caused by repeated farmland washing and soil remediation. At the same time, by integrating a closed-loop concept of straw recycling, we transform agricultural by-products into valuable resources, fundamentally promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns.。

Long-Term Impacts and Interactions

Positive Impacts:

• Social aspect: Promote public awareness of agricultural sustainability through green alternatives and spread the concept of responsible consumption.
• Environmental aspect: Degrade chemical herbicide residues, reduce pollution accumulation, and promote the health of agricultural ecosystems.
• Economic aspect: Reduce resource waste and promote recycling, helping farmers lower costs and improve income stability.

Potential Negative Impacts:

• Farmers may have difficulty understanding the concept of “synthetic biology as an alternative to chemical herbicides,” leading to acceptance barriers.
• Overemphasis on a single solution may reduce farmers’ attention to diversified agricultural management.

Countermeasures:

• Use accessible popular science formats such as comics, postcards, and posters to lower cognitive barriers.
• Enhance public understanding and acceptance through campus outreach and interactive activities.

Our Actions and Contributions

In this goal, our role is not only that of technological innovators, but also of science communicators and social advocates. Centered around SDG 12, we have carried out a variety of practices:

6、Postcard Distribution

Figure 10: Postcard Distribution

Our team designed and distributed themed postcards inspired by traditional Chinese solar terms. These postcards used concise and vivid language and imagery to translate complex scientific concepts into information that the general public could easily understand, conveying the ideas of responsible consumption and agricultural sustainability. In this way, we not only encouraged students to encounter and reflect on the relationship between agriculture and the environment in their daily lives, but also sparked greater attention and discussion around green agriculture.

This initiative directly advanced SDG 12.4 (achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes) by helping the public recognize the importance of reducing chemical pesticide use and improving waste management. At the same time, it echoed SDG 2.4 (ensuring sustainable food production systems and implementing resilient agricultural practices): through outreach and education, we promoted social understanding and acceptance of green agricultural technologies, thereby facilitating the adoption of more sustainable farming practices.

More importantly, this activity also indirectly promoted SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land):

• SDG 3: By reducing the threats of chemical residues to human health, ensuring food safety.
• SDG 15: By encouraging public support for green agriculture and ecological protection, contributing to the restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

However, during dissemination, we realized that postcards, while suitable for student groups, were not sufficiently intuitive for some farmers. Due to limited educational backgrounds, they found too much textual information difficult to understand. Based on this feedback, we began exploring more accessible methods—using AI-generated sketch comics. These comics vividly illustrate how engineered bacteria degrade herbicide residues and promote wheat germination, making complex scientific principles more visual, tangible, and easier for farmers to accept and comprehend.

7、Comic Creation

Figure 11: AI-Generated Promotional Comic for the Project

Our team combined AI and hand-drawn illustrations to vividly depict the complex mechanisms of engineered bacteria degrading chlorimuron-ethyl and secreting IAA in the form of comics. By using personification and scenario-based storytelling, we successfully transformed abstract molecular reactions and synthetic biology principles into intuitive and accessible narratives, enabling both farmers and students to easily understand the practical role of engineered bacteria in farmland.

This initiative aligns with SDG 12.4 (achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes): through education and public outreach, it lowers the psychological barriers of the public regarding dependence on chemical pesticides, strengthens their trust in biological solutions, and thereby promotes the reduction of chemical waste generation and emissions.

8、Poster Design and Campus Display

Figure 12: Poster Promotion

By posting posters on campus, we conveyed the concept of sustainable development to students, helping more people understand the necessity of green transformation in agriculture. In the process of dissemination, we placed special emphasis on reducing dependence on chemical herbicides, guiding everyone to pay attention to the long-term impacts of pesticide residues on soil quality, crop yield, and human health. This not only helped build a cognitive link between students and farmers but also encouraged the public to reflect on how to practice responsible consumption and production in daily life.

This action directly aligns with SDG 12.4 (achieving environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes) by advocating for more scientific and eco-friendly farming and consumption practices, thereby promoting the gradual reduction of chemical pesticide use. In the future, we also plan to explore alternatives such as biological herbicides, addressing the conflict between environmental protection and agricultural production at its source.

At the same time, this initiative indirectly contributes to several other Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 2.4 (sustainable food production systems): By promoting reduced pesticide use, it improves soil quality, enhances the long-term productivity and resilience of farmland.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): By lowering the potential harm of pesticide residues to human health, it improves food safety for both rural and urban residents.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): By integrating green agriculture concepts into campus education, it enables more students to develop sustainable values during their studies.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): By reducing pesticide damage to biodiversity and soil ecosystems, it promotes the sustainable management of natural resources.

Through this path combining education and advocacy, we not only directly contributed to SDG 12, but also promoted sustainable progress in health, education, and ecological protection through cross-sectoral linkages.

9、Closed-Loop Design: Straw-Based Bacterial Cultivation

Figure 13: Green Circular Design of the Project

During the progress of our project, we not only focused on increasing crop yield and mitigating herbicide damage but also gradually expanded our perspective to the reutilization of agricultural by-products. Straw, as the most common by-product in farmland, if directly discarded or burned, not only results in resource waste but also causes severe environmental pollution. Based on feedback from our Human Practice, we explored a “straw-to-bacteria cultivation” closed-loop design: after harvest, straw is biologically decomposed into cellulose, which is then further converted into glucose to provide a continuous energy source for engineered bacteria. This approach not only achieves efficient reutilization of by-products but also establishes a self-sustaining energy loop for our engineered bacterial system.

Figure 14: Online Meeting with Team Squirrel-Beijing-I via Tencent Conference

We established a collaboration with the Squirrel-Beijing-I team, drawing on their experience in cellulose utilization to jointly explore how to resourcefully and cyclically apply straw in agricultural systems. Furthermore, we extended our research direction to microbial- or plant-derived bioherbicides, aiming to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides at the source and promote the transformation of agriculture toward green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.

This initiative directly contributes to SDG 12.5 (by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse), as it explores effective pathways for the circular utilization of agricultural by-products, thereby reducing the environmental burden of waste.

At the same time, it also indirectly advances other SDGs:

• SDG 2.4 (Zero Hunger): Enhance soil health and crop yields through circular agriculture, ensuring food security.
• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Reduce carbon emissions caused by straw burning, contributing to climate change mitigation.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): Decrease reliance on chemical pesticides and improve soil quality, fostering ecosystem restoration and sustainable use.

Figure 15: SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Agriculture is not only about food security but also directly impacts public health and well-being. For a long time, the excessive use and residue of chemical herbicides have posed major hidden risks to food safety and human health. Our project applies a biological approach—engineered bacteria degrading chlorimuron-ethyl residues—to reduce the risk of harmful substances entering the food chain at the source, thereby improving farmland ecology and ensuring dietary safety. This direction is highly consistent with Target 3.9:

By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.

By developing a controllable and safe biological solution, we make pesticide degradation more efficient, thereby reducing the likelihood of farmers and consumers being exposed to harmful chemicals and contributing to effective prevention of “diseases entering through food.”

Long-Term Impacts and Interactions

Positive Impacts

• Social aspect: Reduce health risks caused by pesticide residues and improve confidence in food safety among rural and urban residents.
• Environmental aspect: Decrease the accumulation of toxic chemicals in soil and water, mitigating the indirect threats of the environment to human health.
• Economic aspect: By reducing medical expenses caused by health problems, indirectly lower the economic burden on farming families and society.

Potential Negative Impacts

• Some members of the public may have concerns about applying “live bacteria” or “synthetic biology” in farmland, worrying that it could introduce new health risks.
• During the promotion stage, if lacking proper scientific explanation, misunderstandings may arise, leading to reduced acceptance.

Countermeasures

• Education & Popular Science: Use intuitive and easy-to-understand pesticide residue test card experiments to help the public understand pesticide residue issues.
• Social Advocacy: Organize debates and similar activities for students and the public to discuss whether “live bacteria weed-control technology” should be promoted, enhancing rational discussion and awareness.
• Interactive Experience: Use wheat handicraft activities to link food with agriculture, reinforcing awareness of “healthy diet and healthy environment.”
• Public Welfare Action: Conduct wheat handicraft charity sales and donations, combining education with social responsibility to enhance public participation and recognition.

Our Actions and Contributions

In this goal, our role is that of health advocates and social educators. Centered around SDG 3, we have carried out a variety of practices:

10、Pesticide Residue Test Card

Figure 16: Pesticide Residue Test Card

Figure 17: Operation Process of the Pesticide Residue Test Card

Our team purchased ready-made pesticide residue test cards and used them in teaching and giveaway activities. Through intuitive demonstrations and hands-on experiences, the public could directly observe the potential pesticide residues in food, thereby gaining a clearer understanding of the health risks posed by pesticides. Compared with purely textual science communication, this “visualized” experimental format greatly lowered the barrier to understanding, allowing participants to develop a tangible awareness of food safety through interaction.

This practice directly contributes to SDG 3.9 (By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination), as it helps the public recognize the threats of pesticide residues to human health and provides a scientific and convenient detection method to improve protective awareness.

At the same time, this activity also indirectly advances SDG 12.5 (By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation), since raising public sensitivity to pesticide residues can lead to reduced unnecessary pesticide use, preventing farmland from requiring additional remediation or waste soil cleanup due to over-application, thus reducing environmental and resource waste at the source.

11、Debate Competition

Figure 18: Debate Competition at Qingdao Academy

We organized a debate competition themed “Should live-bacteria-based weed-control technology be promoted?”. Through intense arguments from both sides, students not only learned about the potential and limitations of biological weed-control technology from a scientific perspective, but also deeply reflected on the relationship between agricultural technology and public well-being from social and health perspectives. The debate broke away from the traditional one-way teaching model, enabling participants to actively construct their own understanding of pesticide residue risks and green alternatives through intellectual exchange.

This activity directly echoes SDG 3.9 (By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination), as it enhanced young people’s awareness of the health risks of pesticide residues through education and discussion, while encouraging them to focus on and explore safer agricultural technologies.

12、Wheat Handicraft Activity

Figure 19: Wheat Handicraft Activity at Qingdao Academy

We designed a “Wheat Handicraft” activity, allowing students to weave small items using post-harvest straw to directly experience the value of food crops and the potential for reusing agricultural by-products. During the hands-on process, students not only learned how to transform straw that might otherwise be discarded into valuable handicrafts but also gained a deeper understanding of the close connection between agricultural production, daily life, and healthy diets.

Figure 20: Agricultural Donation Activity

Figure 21: Alipay Agricultural Donation

On this basis, in addition to selling some of the straw-woven handicrafts, we also organized a donation activity and donated the proceeds to farming communities. This practice not only allowed students to appreciate the value of agriculture through hands-on crafting but also created a tangible connection with farmers through the process of “hands-on work—creation—public welfare,” enhancing their sense of responsibility and empathy.

This activity directly echoes SDG 3.9 (By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses caused by hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination), as it emphasized the link between agriculture and dietary health, helping the public to subconsciously strengthen their awareness of healthy diets and food safety.

At the same time, it also indirectly contributes to SDG 12.5 (By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation), since the reuse of straw prevents resource waste and transforms agricultural by-products into handicrafts of higher social value, thereby promoting the concepts of recycling and sustainable consumption.

Figure 22: SDG 15 Life on Land

Agriculture is not only the guarantee of food security but also the key to the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. Long-term reliance on chemical herbicides has caused soil degradation and ecological imbalance, becoming a major barrier to sustainable agricultural development. Our project applies engineered bacteria to degrade chlorimuron-ethyl residues, which not only restores farmland ecosystems affected by herbicide damage but also creates more favorable conditions for healthy crop growth. This direction is highly consistent with Targets 15.1 and 15.3:

• Target 15.1: Ensure the sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, and mountains.
• Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land, and achieve land degradation neutrality.

By degrading chlorimuron-ethyl, our engineered bacteria reduce the risk of chemicals leaching into soil and water, thereby protecting ecosystems and their service functions. Through restoring herbicide-damaged land and enhancing soil capacity for crop rotation, our solution helps prevent further land degradation and provides a feasible pathway for the recovery of degraded farmland.

Long-Term Impacts and Interactions

Positive Impacts

• Social aspect: Strengthen farmers’ confidence in sustainable land use through soil remediation and yield improvement.
• Environmental aspect: Reduce the accumulation of pesticide residues, protect soil and water quality, and preserve ecosystem biodiversity.
• Economic aspect: Restore farmland yield reduced by herbicide damage, improve land-use efficiency, and thereby enhance overall agricultural economic returns.

Potential Negative Impacts

• The public may worry that “live bacteria entering the soil” could disrupt the natural ecological balance, raising biosafety concerns.
• During the promotion stage, insufficient science communication may trigger resistance from farmers and society toward the application of the technology.

Countermeasures

• Education & Outreach: Publicize the issue of soil damage caused by herbicides to help farmers and the public understand the importance of soil health for agriculture and ecology.
• Organizational Linkage: Leverage biology clubs to spread the concepts of soil remediation and ecological protection to more students and social groups.
• Technical Design: Incorporate safety modules such as temperature-controlled suicide systems to ensure that engineered bacteria do not persist after completing their task, thereby avoiding ecological disruption.

Our Actions and Contributions

In this goal, our role is that of communicators and connectors. Centered around SDG 15, we have carried out a variety of activities:

13、Soil Damage Awareness Campaign

Figure 23: Soil Damage Awareness Campaign at the Village Committee

We carried out a publicity campaign themed “Soil Damage”, aiming to raise public awareness that pesticide residues not only affect crop growth but also disrupt soil ecosystems, threatening microbial communities and overall biodiversity. Through vivid case studies and direct comparisons, we helped farmers recognize the risks of land degradation caused by long-term reliance on chemical herbicides and emphasized the importance of scientific management and green alternatives.

This initiative directly contributes to SDG 15.1 (ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services), as it enhances the awareness of farmers and the public, strengthens the emphasis on protecting and sustainably using soil ecosystems, and thereby lays a social foundation for maintaining land quality and ecological balance.

14、Biology Club

Figure 24: Biology Club Campus Presentation at Qingdao Academy

We established Campus Ecology Day with the aim of embedding the concept of sustainable development into the education system and making ecological protection part of daily campus culture. To ensure this activity has long-term and lasting impact, we further founded a Biology Club as an extension and regular platform of Ecology Day. The club not only provides students with opportunities to engage in topics such as soil remediation and green agriculture, but also serves as an organizational base for us to design and implement more public-oriented activities.

In the future, the club will use Ecology Day as a central node to host events such as “Soil Life Day” or “No Pesticide Residue Action Day.” Through lectures, interactive experiments, art exhibitions, and small-scale field trials, more people will be able to understand the hazards of pesticide residues to ecosystems and human health. At the same time, we plan to experiment with micro-crowdfunding, with donations directed to ecological restoration funds or supporting green experiments in campuses and farmland, thereby promoting the integration of education, research, and social responsibility.

This initiative not only allows more students to become active participants in ecological protection but also spreads the concept of ecological restoration to a broader social level through the pathway of “education—practice—public welfare.” In doing so, it encourages the public to gradually form a consensus on green agriculture and land conservation.

This initiative directly advances SDG 15.1 (ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services), as it enhances public awareness of soil and ecosystem protection through both education and action, while contributing social support for ecological restoration through the sustained activities of the club and Ecology Day.

It also indirectly promotes several other goals:

• SDG 4.7 (Quality Education): By incorporating sustainable development concepts into the education system through Ecology Day and club activities, cultivating students’ environmental awareness and sense of responsibility.
• SDG 13.3 (Climate Action): By raising public awareness of the links between climate change and land degradation through educational activities, strengthening society’s overall adaptive capacity.

Through this combination of education + action + public welfare, we aim not only to pursue technological innovation but also to foster a broad social consensus on land ecological protection and sustainable use, contributing to the global goal of achieving “land degradation neutrality.”

The wiki may eventually freeze, but our exploration and actions will not come to a halt. Knowledge, responsibility, and innovation are never bound by deadlines; ZQT-China will establish the cycle of “starting from the field and returning to the field for validation” as a long-term mechanism.

Long-term Risks & Negative Externalities

Biosafety and Ecological Disturbance

The environmental release of engineered bacteria may lead to ecological chain effects such as horizontal gene transfer (HGT), alterations in non-target microbial community structures, and niche competition. Long-term or high-frequency application may also result in functional dependency or create a “bioremediation–recontamination” cycle.

Health and Perception Risks

The concept of “live bacteria” is easily misunderstood, raising public concerns about food safety and soil-borne transmission. Incorrect or excessive application could lead to unintended exposure or unstable field performance, causing fluctuations in farmers’ returns.

Industry and Equity Issues

If cold-chain logistics, equipment, or training requirements are too high, regional and scale disparities may worsen. Unfriendly intellectual property or procurement models may also lead to unequal benefits for smallholder farmers.

Life Cycle Impacts

Without a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) across fermentation, freeze-drying, packaging, logistics, application, and disposal, hidden burdens may arise in terms of energy and material footprints. Single-use packaging and experimental consumables also require proper management.

Mitigation Measures We Have Taken / Plan to Strengthen

Biosafety Design

A temperature-controlled suicide system (CspA-Holin) is adopted to ensure that engineered bacteria can be effectively eliminated after completing their task, preventing long-term persistence.

Resource Recovery and Product Iteration (Future Plan)

Introduce packaging recycling mechanisms and incorporate LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) into product design requirements to reduce additional environmental burdens and provide quantitative evidence for future improvements.

Education and Public Engagement

In addition to experimental validation and field application, we will further strengthen educational activities.

Life Cycle Assessment (Future Plan)

Conduct systematic LCA evaluations across the entire chain—from fermentation, freeze-drying, and packaging, to logistics, application, and disposal:

Quantify carbon footprint and energy consumption;

Analyze hidden environmental costs across different stages;

Further reduce the overall environmental impact of agricultural bioproducts through circular design and material optimization.

What Remains to be Done

• Scientific Research → Evaluate PnbA surface display kinetics, substrate spectrum, and by-product safety under field-simulated conditions; promote multi-season, multi-site, and continuous trials covering different soil types, temperature/humidity conditions, and cultivation systems to ensure consistency and generalizability of results.
• Field Application & Engineering → Optimize freeze-dried formulations (protectants, moisture content), shelf life, and reactivation curves.
• Biosafety & Compliance → Prepare and refine environmental release approval dossiers (risk assessment, emergency response plans, monitoring schemes) in accordance with local/national regulations.
• Education & Public Engagement → Develop standardized activity packages for “Ecology Day / Soil Life Day / No-Pesticide-Residue Action Day” (lectures, experiments, exhibition boards); provide farmers with illustrated guides and dialect-based audio/video materials.
• Circularity & SDG Advancement → Deepen collaboration with Squirrel-Beijing-I on validating and scaling the pathway from straw → glucose → bacterial energy.
• International Collaboration → Establish data mutual recognition and methodological sharing with countries and teams practicing soybean–wheat rotation; participate in international standards/guideline discussions to enhance universality and transferability.

Overall, our Human Practices journey demonstrates ZQT-China’s continuous reflection and field validation of the dual goals of yield improvement and ecological protection: through multi-stakeholder engagement with farmers, village committees, researchers, and regulators, our solution evolved from a single degradation function into an integrated system of degradation + growth promotion + safety self-destruction. From the “crop rotation calendar—automated application nodes—freeze-dried formulation” to the communication matrix of “comics/postcards/Ecology Day/student clubs,” we have worked to shorten the distance between science and the field.

We remain clear-eyed about the long-term risks: ecological disturbance, strategy lock-in, and uncertainties in perception and compliance—and we have transformed these into a concrete research agenda and action plan. Looking ahead, we will continue to advance a greener, low-carbon, and more sustainable agricultural pathway with open data, strict safety, verifiable benefits, and replicable processes—ensuring that science truly serves the fields, and that the fields, in turn, continually inform science.