Editor's note: Alexander Ayertey Odonkor, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a global economist with a keen interest in the social, environmental and economic landscape of both developing and developed countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and Europe. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Guided by the understanding that global challenges call for global cooperation, China, typically opens its doors to all countries and various organizations, through several programs and initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – promoting global cooperation in key areas including agriculture, an indispensable sector to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

Since 2013, China, through the BRI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which aims to strengthen infrastructure, trade and investment links, has established agricultural cooperation with many countries and various international organizations. At present, China, under the BRI, has signed agricultural cooperation agreements with more than 90 countries and international organizations, and has undertaken over 650 agricultural investment projects in BRI partner countries worth $14 billion.

In addition, over the past decade, China has sent more than 2,000 agricultural technicians to over 70 countries, teaching them growing techniques for hybrid rice, fungi and several other crops. During this period, over 100,000 farmers have been trained and more than 1 million have received indirect benefits – addressing the pressing needs of farmers and various actors along the agri-food value chain. In fact, in all the four main stages of the agri-food value chain, including inputs, production, processing and delivery to customers, the China-led effort tackles daunting decades-long challenges that impeded growth in the agriculture sector and related industries.

Since its introduction, the BRI agricultural cooperation has underpinned national and global actions dedicated to eliminating barriers to growth in the agriculture sector – providing both hard and soft infrastructure including efficient transport networks to send farm products to markets, promoting research collaboration in agricultural science and upgrading facilities for storage and irrigation among others – together with introducing farmers to modern agricultural practices and technology facilities that support smart farming – promoting sustainable agriculture.

For participating countries, the BRI agricultural cooperation drives economic transformation by enhancing productive capacities and promoting trade in the agriculture sector – tackling pressing global challenges including poverty and hunger. With the growth in agriculture known to be two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest population compared to other sectors, the BRI agricultural cooperation, which unlocks new growth opportunities across the entire agri-food value chain, enables participating nations, especially developing countries, to foster agriculture-driven growth to achieve development goals.

In many low and middle-income countries where the majority of the workforce engages in agriculture with the sector accounting for as high as over 25 percent of GDP in some least developed countries, BRI agricultural cooperation, characterized by agricultural technology transfer, agricultural investment, investment in infrastructure and accelerated policy coordination, offers these developing countries, which are grappling with structural challenges, a unique opportunity to realize sustainable agriculture-driven growth, enter new and larger markets, bolster job creation, and improve food security.

For example, in the case of Burundi, a landlocked least developed country, which joined the BRI in 2018 with agricultural cooperation as a starting point, the East African country has so far benefited enormously from the China-led effort. Home to favorable conditions for agriculture with tropical climate and abundant rainfall, Burundi's decades-long inability to unlock the full potential of its agriculture sector, contributed to the East African nation being one of the world's poorest countries with alarming food insecurity levels.

However, since becoming partners with China under the BRI, which further enhances existing agricultural cooperation between the two countries, Burundi, over the past five years has seen considerable development in its agriculture and livestock sector, particularly in rice cultivation – this has significantly improved food security.

As one of Burundi's main staple foods, decades of low yield in rice production contributed to food shortage. However, through BRI engagements, Burundi has so far received five batches of senior agricultural experts from China – the Chinese experts conducted various research and trials, undertook field trips in all 15 rice-growing provinces in Burundi and successfully selected and introduced farmers to eight rice varieties suitable for the country's weather and environment. Thanks to this effort, poor yields or total crop failure usually attributed to rice plague in Burundi's mountainous regions is a thing of the past.

In a similar fashion, BRI agricultural cooperation, especially for countries in resource-poor regions has proven to be the panacea to formidable challenges that for decades constrained food security and poverty alleviation progress. Though the BRI agricultural cooperation presently boasts a long list of success stories across countries in Africa and Asia, the China-led effort could further improve global food security and eradicate extreme poverty by expanding cooperation with the rest of the world.

In October, the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is expected to bring together countries and international organizations, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the BRI. The forum will become an important avenue for policymakers, development partners and other relevant stakeholders to share experiences and open up new opportunities for growth under the China-led effort to address global challenges.  

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