Developing green agriculture to help ensure food security

Developing green agriculture and enhancing cooperation with partners participating in the Belt and Road Initiative will help China and other developing countries ensure grain security and food supplies, officials and business leaders said on Jun 25.

Green agriculture refers to agricultural practices that are environmentally sustainable, aiming to preserve natural resources, minimize pollution and promote biodiversity, according to the Beijing-based China Agricultural University.

It encompasses a variety of methods and approaches that reduce the environmental footprint of farming, including organic farming, sustainable water usage and conservation tillage.

By adopting sustainable agricultural practices, these countries can better mitigate the effects caused by extreme weather and resource scarcity, said Yu Jianlong, vice-chairman of the Beijing-headquartered China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Speaking at a conference held by the China Chamber of International Commerce in Beijing, Yu said collaborative efforts under the BRI can facilitate the sharing of knowledge, technology and resources, fostering a resilient agricultural sector across the participating economies.

For instance, supported by tangible growth of the BRI, experts from China have developed a high-yield rice seed tailored to local conditions in Nigeria. The seed outperforms native varieties by over 20 percent, according to information released by the National Development and Reform Commission.

Endorsed by Nigerian agricultural authorities, the new rice seed is now planted across two-thirds of the country's states.

"China will continue to welcome investment from multinational corporations in its agricultural sector," he said, adding the country also encourages capable domestic companies to build a presence in other participating countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to enjoy the pact's preferential policies in the agricultural sector.

Zhang Zhongjun, officer-in-charge of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' representation in China, said that numerous factors have contributed to the growth and transformation of agriculture in China.

Among these, innovations in agricultural technology stand out as a key driver of increased agricultural productivity, facilitating the shift toward modern agriculture, said Zhang.

China's grain output hit a record high of 695.4 million metric tons in 2023, up 1.3 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

China saw the foreign trade value of agricultural products, including corn, wheat, pork and durian, amount to $330 billion last year, declining 0.4 percent on a yearly basis, accounting for 5.6 percent of the country's total foreign trade value, said the General Administration of Customs.

Cao Baoming, a professor specializing in grain security at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics in Jiangsu province, said China should not only maintain government investment in agri-food research and development but also adopt a more diversified innovation strategy that encourages increased private sector investment.

"Strengthening the country's overall innovation system can be achieved by offering incentives for private sector innovation," Cao said, adding that providing financial support and tax incentives, particularly for startups, can accelerate the adoption of new technologies by farmers and enhance the private sector's role in this area.

Eager to expand its market footprint in China, US-based agricultural conglomerate Cargill Inc put into operation an upgraded innovation and research and development center in Shanghai early this month.

Faced with the formidable challenges brought about by climate change, no single country or organization can tackle them alone, and cooperation is required from all parties involved in the supply chain, said Liu Chang, vice-president of Cargill Investments (China) Ltd.