(FOCAC) Guest Opinion: Sowing new seeds for China-Africa agricultural cooperation

From hybrid rice to flowers, from tropical agriculture to dry farming, from technology demonstration centers to poverty alleviation pilot projects, China and Africa have seen increased exchanges and fruitful achievements on agricultural cooperation since the launch of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and in particular, since the start of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Chinese crop varieties and agricultural technologies have been transported thousands of miles to the African continent, helping improve productivity and local livelihoods.

Developed by the National Engineering Research Center for Juncao Technology of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) of China, Juncao technology has revolutionized mushroom cultivation for smallholder farmers by using dried, chopped grasses instead of traditional wood-based methods.

With personal commitment and support from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Juncao technology has been introduced to over 100 countries and regions worldwide, and African countries have widely applied this promising, environment-friendly technology.

It helps small-scale farmers develop a low-cost mushroom industry, provides sustainable livelihood options for family farmers and rural entrepreneurs, and offers a new way for developing countries to create jobs, eradicate poverty, and improve people’s well-being.

In Rwanda, where Juncao is known as "the happiness herb," experts from FAFU have collaborated with the local government to promote Juncao technology and other agricultural innovations at the China-Rwanda Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center in the southern city of Huye. This innovation is more about mushroom cultivation.

Benefiting over 4,000 Rwandan farmers and creating more than 30,000 jobs along the value chain, Juncao technology has helped promote food security, foster sustainable agricultural practices, and expedite the transition toward a greener economy.

A good example of Juncao technology is to be found in the Musanze district in Rwanda, where farmers have reported a significant increase in their income by selling mushrooms grown on Juncao substrates. The additional income has enabled them to invest in better education and family healthcare. Higher demands for protein-rich foods in communities have been met. What’s more, the by-products of mushroom cultivation are used as organic fertilizer to improve land capability.

Greater potential to be unlocked

Apart from Juncao, agricultural cooperation between China and Africa has been highly productive in many other areas:

Enhancing food security. China produces about one-fifth of the world’s food on 9 percent of its arable land. Africa, with 65 percent of the world’s uncultivated land, imports nearly 30 percent of its food from other continents. China’s practices in this area have proven to be valuable to Africa, and agricultural cooperation offers a path to ensuring food security for over 1.4 billion Africans.

By sharing modern technologies and high-yield crop varieties, China has helped Africa increase agricultural productivity significantly.

In Uganda, where over 70 percent of the population rely on agriculture for livelihood, the China-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations-Uganda South-South Cooperation Program was launched in 2012 to build capacity on poverty reduction and improve food security.