Multiple Measures taken by African Countries to Promote Agricultural Development (International Perspective) Countries | Rice | Agriculture
In recent years, African countries and China have continuously strengthened agricultural cooperation and achieved fruitful results. Thanks to the support of Chinese agricultural experts, Burundi, an East African country, has successfully improved rice varieties, expanded the planting area of hybrid rice, greatly improved rice yield and achieved sustainable development. The picture shows local farmers threshing hybrid rice in a rice field recently in a rice poverty reduction demonstration village in Bubanza Province, Burundi.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Han Xu
The report "Shaping the Future of Business and Investment" recently released by the World Economic Forum pointed out that the average annual growth rate of agricultural output in Africa over the past 20 years is 4.1%, higher than the global average. If the development advantages of the African continent's free trade zone can be fully utilized, investment can be expanded, and challenges can be addressed, the agricultural output value of Africa is expected to increase from the current 280 billion US dollars to 1 trillion US dollars by 2030. The report believes that there is enormous potential for agricultural development in Africa, and promoting agricultural development can help regional countries increase income, expand employment, reduce poverty, promote inclusive growth in related industries, and lay a solid foundation for sustainable economic development.
Currently, African countries are continuously strengthening their awareness of food self-sufficiency, increasing agricultural support, actively engaging in international cooperation, striving to improve the level of agricultural development, and promoting agriculture towards scale and modernization.
The enormous potential for regional agricultural development
The agricultural output value in Africa accounts for about one-third of the gross domestic product of the African region, absorbing the majority of the working population on the continent. It is of great significance in achieving coordinated development of population, resources, and environment. Senegalese President Maki Sal said, "Africa has 65% of the world's uncultivated farmland and abundant water resources, and there is great potential for regional agriculture to be developed."
However, due to the overall low level of agricultural mechanization and insufficient water conservancy infrastructure, African countries have a low self-sufficiency rate in food production, with a total annual grain output of only 200 million tons and an average annual import of 85 million tons of grain. African agriculture and food systems are also highly susceptible to climate change, regional conflicts, and other external factors. In 2022, the Horn of Africa experienced the most severe drought in 40 years, with a large number of crops experiencing crop failures or even crop failures, and millions of people facing food shortages.
Kenyan international expert Mu Nainai stated that African countries have weaker abilities to adapt to and respond to climate change, and floods and droughts have become more frequent, seriously affecting the food security of regional countries. Paul Frimpon, Executive Director of the African China Policy Advisory Center, a think tank in Ghana, believes that various factors affect agricultural production and food security in Africa, prompting African countries to accelerate their self-reliance.
Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, believes that there is a serious lack of funding in the agricultural and food sectors of Africa, which exacerbates food insecurity and is hindering the future development of the entire African continent. He called on the international community and African countries to strengthen cooperation and coordination, eliminate bottlenecks that limit the development potential of African countries.
Accelerate the improvement of modernization level
South African agricultural researcher Anandre believes that the continuous promotion of the construction of free trade zones on the African continent will help agricultural enterprises benefit from intra African trade. If African countries further increase their agricultural investment, it is expected that by 2050, the scale of comprehensive agricultural trade in Africa is expected to increase by 30%. This will further unleash the development potential of the African continent and promote the prosperity and development of African countries. Currently, African countries are continuously implementing agricultural assistance policies, increasing investment in funds and technology, and accelerating the modernization of agriculture. African Union member states previously promised to allocate 10% of their national budget to food and agricultural production.
The Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture has recently issued a policy to transfer 500000 acres of idle land controlled by state-owned enterprises to the private agricultural sector for development and utilization, and provide loans to relevant agricultural entities for the development and promotion of new technologies, promoting agricultural mechanization. The "Kenya Million Farmers Digital Platform" launched by the country has also received much attention. The project aims to attract 1 million farmers to enjoy digital agricultural services. Through more than 900 technological innovations and management practices, it provides real-time climate intelligent agricultural advice, market information push, credit and insurance services, etc., to further enhance Kenya's agricultural productivity.
Zambia has vast agricultural land and abundant water resources, with enormous potential for food production. Zambia regards agricultural reform and increasing agricultural output as important aspects of government work, implementing the "Agricultural Growth Opportunity Plan" with a total investment of 300 million US dollars. By increasing public expenditure on the agricultural water conservancy sector, promoting local crops and food, Zambia aims to achieve inclusive growth in agriculture.
The Tanzanian government continues to strengthen cooperation with international financial institutions, with a focus on supporting agricultural commercialization, stimulating innovation in the agricultural industry, and ensuring the country's food supply. Over the past 10 years, Tanzania's agricultural output has doubled. At present, Tanzania has hundreds of thousands of medium-sized farms, and the output value created by employing agricultural labor alone exceeds 300 million US dollars.
International and regional organizations are also actively providing assistance for regional agricultural development, stimulating the growth potential of African agriculture. Last year, the African Development Bank specifically introduced measures to promote food production in Africa, focusing on providing heat-resistant wheat seeds to 1.8 million farmers in seven African countries through the "African Agricultural Transformation Technology" program, resulting in an increase of over 1.4 million tons of wheat.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has developed the "Four Better" roadmap for accelerating agricultural development in Africa: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life for everyone, without leaving anyone behind. Currently, 27 African countries have joined the flagship project of the Food and Agriculture Organization - "Hand in Hand Action", which aims to identify gaps in global agricultural transformation, match different countries with partners, and achieve tangible mutual assistance results. In 2019, the Food and Agriculture Organization also launched the "One Country, One Priority Product" initiative in Africa, supporting countries in developing unique and sustainable agricultural and sideline products, building a more complete value chain, and enhancing international market competitiveness.
Continuous deepening of agricultural cooperation between China and Africa
Kristan Bahana, editor in chief of the South African Foreign Affairs magazine, stated that China has always been a strong supporter of the modernization of agriculture in Africa. From food breeding, cultivation, field management, to the construction of agricultural infrastructure, and then to the policy of opening up agricultural trade, agricultural cooperation between Africa and China continues to deepen.
In Kenya, corn production, one of the main staple foods, has long been unable to achieve self-sufficiency. In April 2022, the China Africa Joint Research Center in Kenya used Chinese technology to test local white jade rice varieties, increasing production by about 50%. David Mbroo, Dean of the College of Agriculture at Jomo Kenyatta Agricultural and Technical University, said, "This bountiful harvest is of great significance to African countries such as Kenya."
In Madagascar, hybrid rice varieties introduced from Hunan, China have achieved abundant harvests for several years. It is expected that by 2024, the planting area of hybrid rice in Madagascar will reach 150000 hectares, and the yield of rice will increase by about 500000 tons. Madagascar is expected to become the first African country to achieve food self-sufficiency.
China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The trade structure between China and Africa continues to optimize, and China actively expands imports of non resource products from Africa to help more African agricultural products enter the Chinese market. In 2022, China imported agricultural products worth 5.196 billion US dollars from Africa. China has become the second largest destination country for agricultural exports in Africa.
"2022 is a year of abundant agricultural harvest in South Africa," said Bandil Silobo, Chief Economist of the South African Agricultural Chamber of Commerce. South Africa's agricultural export revenue reached a new record of $12.8 billion in 2022, an increase of 4% from the previous year. He said that many African countries are looking for export destinations for the increasing number of agricultural products. The series of agricultural trade reciprocity agreements signed between Africa and China will help further develop agriculture in Africa.
At the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, China announced the establishment of a "green channel" for the export of African agricultural products to China, supporting and facilitating the entry of more high-quality and distinctive African agricultural products into the Chinese market. More and more African specialty agricultural products such as citrus from South Africa, sesame from Tanzania, avocado from Kenya, and dried chili from Rwanda are entering the Chinese market.
In August 2022, Kenya exported avocado to China for the first time. In just three months, Kenya's total avocado exports to China have reached 400 million yuan, exceeding Kenya's total avocado exports in the first seven months of last year. Benjamin Tito, Director of the Kenya Horticultural Bureau, said, "China provides enormous opportunities for the sustainable development of agriculture in Africa."
