Jiao Xiaoqiang (first from left), an associate professor at China Agricultural University, instructs African students in Malawi to conduct training on maize drought coping measures. Photo by Gao Xinyue.
Both China and Africa have a long tradition of farming, and agriculture has always been the key word in China-Africa cooperation. As early as the 50s of the last century, China began to provide assistance to Africa within its capacity through agricultural technical cooperation and other means. Since the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, China-Africa agricultural cooperation has been expanding in an all-round, multi-field and in-depth direction, with remarkable results.
Recently, the 4th China-International Development Forum "Responding to Food Security and Promoting the Sustainable Development of China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation" special conference was held in Beijing, the meeting was hosted by the Institute of International Development Cooperation of the Institute of International Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, representatives from all walks of life conducted in-depth exchanges on the China-Africa agricultural industry chain and chain, climate change, sustainable agriculture and other fields.
The industrial chain and the first chain are important starting points for cooperation.
The industrial chain and the first chain connect the economies of various countries, and connect the global industrial capital and industrial technology. It is the common responsibility of the international community to build a stable, safe and smooth global industrial chain and chain system. In the process of agricultural cooperation between China and Africa, the industrial chain and the first chain are very important starting points.
Fan Shenggen, chair professor at China Agricultural University and director of the Institute of Global Food Economics and Policy, believes that the industrial chain is very critical for agrifood systems. "The annual gross domestic product (GDP) of China's agri-food system accounts for about % of the total GDP, but the GDP of agriculture itself is only 6%, and the added value of the agricultural industry chain is several times that of agriculture alone. Fan Shenggen said, "Of course, the added value of Africa's agricultural industry chain is not as much as that of China. Many African farmers do not have energy at home, and without energy there is no refrigerator, and without refrigerators there is no refrigeration, which is a significant constraint on the transformation of Africa's agri-food systems. ”
Planning China-Africa agricultural cooperation from the perspective of a systematic agricultural industry chain and a leading chain has become a general consensus in China and the business community.
In recent years, China has been promoting the expansion of market opening up for African agricultural products, establishing green channels for African agricultural products to be exported to China, and speeding up access procedures. According to Yuan Lin, second-level inspector of the Department of West Asia and Africa of the Ministry of Commerce, at present, nearly 400 kinds of agricultural and food products from African countries can be exported to China, and China has also taken the initiative to give 27 African least developed countries 98% of their products exported to China tariff-free treatment, and the tax-free items cover almost all agricultural products. In 2022, the value of China-Africa agricultural products reached US$8.8 billion, of which China's imports from Africa reached US$5.2 billion, doubling from a decade ago.
Enterprise investment has also provided a strong impetus for the further development of China-Africa agricultural cooperation. According to statistics, as of the end of 2022, the stock of investment by Chinese enterprises in non-agriculture exceeded US$700 million, and the scope of investment has been continuously expanded from traditional grain and cash crop planting, animal husbandry and aquatic product breeding to upstream and downstream breeding, seed production, local production of agricultural machinery, warehousing and processing, etc., effectively helping local areas improve the level of food self-sufficiency, enhance the ability of product processing and export to earn foreign exchange, create more employment opportunities, and play a positive role in the economic development and improvement of people's livelihood in African countries.
Rice and pearl millet are both staple foods in Africa. Wang Miao, general manager and economist of CGCOC Agricultural Development, believes that only by forming the technology and model of the whole industrial chain can China-Africa agricultural cooperation be more sustainable. "We have carried out research and development on rice processing with domestic partners for agricultural systems in Africa. The steamed rice eaten in Africa is first steamed, then dried, and then milled. We have developed this core technology and process to lay the foundation for the development of the entire rice industry in Africa. Wang Miao said, "For pearl millet, we have introduced Chinese processing equipment, sold the processed products to African supermarkets, and formed an industrial chain through exhibitions." ”
Climate change has become a major challenge for Africa's agricultural development.
Agriculture is highly dependent on the natural environment and requires stable light, water, and temperature to run smoothly. Climate change brings instability and uncertainty to agriculture, which is a major challenge for countries around the world. Africa in particular, is one of the continents hardest hit by climate change, despite accounting for less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change is having a significant impact on African agriculture. "This is mainly manifested in several ways: temperatures in Africa are rising faster than global levels;Changes in precipitation have made Africa's arid regions more arid and humid regions more humid, leading to frequent droughts and floods, desertification and land degradationRising sea levels, coastline degradation and erosion. Yuan Xiaohui, a researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Institute of International Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, said that these changes will lead to some land in Africa that is no longer suitable for farming, agricultural production will decline, pests and diseases will be more frequent and more easily spread, and the food security crisis in Africa will be exacerbatedAt the same time, climate change has to a certain extent damaged the infrastructure of agricultural circulation, such as transportation and markets, and adversely affected agricultural products.
The recently concluded 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) focused on issues related to agriculture and agri-food systems. The UAE Declaration on Resilient Food Systems, Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Action, signed by more than 100 countries during the meeting, is the first of its kind to focus on agri-food systems and climate change, emphasizing the need for greater ambition and concerted action to synergize food security with global greenhouse gas emissions and protect farmers' livelihoods in areas affected by climate change. Fang Li, chief representative of the Beijing Representative Office of the World Resources Institute, believes that the sustainable development of agri-food systems is also the key to solving the current global biodiversity loss problem. In its future cooperation with Africa, China should take into account human, climate and natural factors.
Africa's agricultural production is relatively extensive, the development of circular agriculture is relatively backward, and there is still a lot of room for development in straw returning, regenerative agriculture, and soil protection. The loss of soil organic matter will be one of the challenges facing African agriculture in the future. Fan Shenggen said that while we help Africa increase production capacity, we must pay attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, and future-oriented agriculture must pay attention to the regeneration ability of soil and protect the land.
Yuan Xiaohui put forward several suggestions on China-Africa cooperation to help African agriculture cope with climate change: integrate climate change into the overall China-Africa agricultural cooperation plan, fully consider the uncertainties and damage factors of agricultural production caused by climate change, assess its impact and design countermeasures;Helping Africa establish an early warning system to address climate change;Provide assistance and support for climate change along the agricultural industry chain;Strengthen international partnerships to address climate change and strengthen cooperation with extraterritorial donors, international organizations, indigenous African development agencies, the private sector and agricultural research institutions.
China-Africa agricultural cooperation has broad prospects for development.
Agriculture is a traditional area of China-Africa cooperation, and it is also an important area for China to actively participate in global governance and contribute China's wisdom under the new situation. According to statistics, China is the developing country with the largest amount of financial assistance, the largest number of experts and the largest number of projects under the framework of South-South Cooperation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and has made positive contributions to helping Africa alleviate the food problem and maintain global food security and stability.
**The "Ten Major Cooperation Plans", "Eight Major Actions" and "Nine Projects" announced by the President all regard agricultural cooperation as an important content, drawing a blueprint for China-Africa agricultural cooperation and promoting China-Africa agricultural cooperation to high-quality development.
** Li Bin, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Africa, said that as a sincere friend of Africa, China has the ability to solve the problem of feeding its 1.4 billion people, and is willing to contribute to the realization of food self-sufficiency for 1.4 billion African people. China has always given prominence to agricultural cooperation with Africa, put forward the "China Plan for Helping Africa to Modernize Agriculture", and announced the implementation of a number of agricultural cooperation projects with Africa at all sessions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China-Africa agricultural cooperation has a lot to offer, and it will surely become a new growth pole for China-Africa cooperation in the future.
Yuan Lin introduced that in the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will conscientiously implement China's plan to help Africa modernize agriculture, do a good job in top-level design, and strive to create a number of more pragmatic and effective cooperation measuresWe will strive to build a mechanism platform, continue to hold major expos, and accelerate the construction of a pilot zone for in-depth economic and trade cooperation between China and AfricaActively explore ways of cooperation, and continue to contribute China's wisdom and strength to Africa's food self-sufficiency and independent sustainable development.
The Center for Foreign Economic Cooperation will take the lead in implementing the 'One Country, One Product' South-South Cooperation Project between China and the FAO, and carry out cooperation with African countries in characteristic agricultural industries. Lin Huifang, deputy director of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that she looks forward to more in-depth cooperation with the United Nations International Center, the World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates and other institutions, and strengthens information exchanges with participating departments to form synergies and contribute to China-Africa agricultural cooperation.
FAO actively shares China's experience with the world and carries out model innovation. Partnership and Innovation** of the FAO Representative Office in China said that the FAO is currently working on two tripartite cooperation projects – the China-Netherlands aquaculture project in Ethiopia and the China-Germany tea green and low-carbon value chain project in Kenya. Dong Le hopes that in the future, China-Africa agricultural cooperation can explore the introduction of partners, including scientific research institutions and the private sector, on the basis of traditional cooperation, to promote technology transfer cooperation in African countries.
China-Africa agricultural cooperation has not forgotten its original aspiration and has achieved steady and far-reaching results.