Strengthening Sino-African Agricultural Cooperation

Editor's note: Wang Linhai is a research fellow of Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (OCRI, CAAS). The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

Out of all things, food is the most important. China is the world's largest developing country, and Africa is the region with the highest concentration of developing nations. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 85 percent of Africa's 54 countries fall into the category of low- and middle-income countries, with 14 of them still grappling with food shortages. 

With exceptional agricultural production conditions, Africa boasts a cultivated land of 250 million hectares, and its per capita cultivated land area surpasses that of China by over three times. However, constrained by factors such as inadequate infrastructure and outdated farming techniques, Africa's food production fails to meet the dietary needs of its 1.3 billion people.

In promoting Sino-African agricultural cooperation in recent years, the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China has proposed targeted cooperation programs based on the diverse characteristics of agricultural development in various African countries, including the integration of production, academia and research, connecting upstream and downstream sectors, and coordinating the collaborative advancement of rural development and investment. 

A number of Sino-African agricultural technology demonstration centers and agricultural demonstration parks have been established in Africa. China's advanced agricultural technology has transcended geographical barriers to take root and flourish in Africa, forming a complete system of breeding, cultivation, processing, warehousing, and logistics. This has given rise to specialty industries in plantation, animal husbandry, and cash crops, transforming fertile soil into fertile farmland. 

With the adoption of Chinese agricultural technology, the yields of crops such as rice, maize, and sesame have doubled. More agricultural products can now be produced on limited arable land. Consequently, Africa's advantageous and distinctive agricultural products have entered China and reached global markets, yielding substantial economic returns. 

Going forward, China will promote Sino-African agricultural collaboration comprehensively, establish a long-term cooperative mechanism, implement practical measures over three years to support Africa's agricultural modernization plan, enhance food security capabilities for African countries, increase the added value of the agricultural industry, build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, and achieve mutually beneficial development, within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.