Fertile friendship

China's agricultural know-how is helping africa enlarge its supply of food

Thousands of years ago the Daoist philosopher Laozi said it is better teach a man to fish than to give him fish. That teaching has been central to how agriculture has developed in China.

Now Chinese are carrying that philosophy to Africa, many of whose huge population live on productive soil but rely heavily on imported food.

A Chinese expert demonstrates the use of a rice transplanter. China has dispatched nearly 10,000 agricultural technicians to Africa since the 1950s. LU RONG / XINHUA

Since the 1950s, China has dispatched nearly 10,000 agricultural technicians to Africa and built more than 240 agricultural projects there, the Ministry of Agriculture says.

"Opening up agriculture is an important part of China's opening-up in general," says Wang Ying, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The idea of "bringing in" and "going out" is important to the ministry, and underlies Chinese agricultural exchange and cooperation programs worldwide, he says.

"International cooperation not only brings more capital support, technology and skilled people to China, but takes resources from China to developing countries, making China an active contributor to world agriculture."

Agricultural trade between China and Africa has risen sharply over the past decade. It was worth $4.78 billion last year, almost seven times what it was worth in 2001, and last year agricultural trade grew by more than 40 percent.

The Chinese agriculture ministry enjoys close ties with most of its African counterparts, and at the end of April as many as 28 agreements related to agriculture had been signed between China and 16 African countries.

The ministry has also established a cooperation mechanism with nine African countries, including South Africa, Egypt and Sudan.

"The success of the Forum on China-Africa has provided new impetus to China-Africa ties," Wang says.

Through the forum, the ministry is establishing up to 20 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa.

More than 100 Chinese agricultural experts have worked for at least a year in the 33 African countries of the forum, and Chinese experts have trained 1,500 Africans.

China will continue to strengthen ties with Africa in demonstrating, promoting and giving training in agricultural technology, Wang says.

It is skills and knowledge that can help local governments introduce agricultural technology to their populations, rather than providing material support, he says.

The ministry's work with Africa through bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as the African Union, remains important, he says.