China, Africa continue deepening cooperation in tropical agricultural science, technology

By Cao Wenxuan, People’s Daily
In a banana seedling cultivation room of Crossfrontier International Ltd. in Kenya, rows of cultivation bottles filled with seedlings were neatly arranged. Lucy Mimano, the company’s CEO, was carefully examining the growth of these seedlings.
“It is crucial to consider the preparation of nutrient solution, the method of inoculating tissue culture seedlings, and specific factors such as temperature, humidity, and light conditions during the cultivation phase,” said Mimano.
Mimano had attended a training program organized by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), where she learned about the tissue culture technique for banana seedlings. To gain expertise in this technique, she visited the CATAS for a 28-day study program in 2014.
“Chinese experts provided me with detailed guidance on how to efficiently develop the banana industry from production and management perspectives, which was of tremendous help to me,” said Mimano.
After returning to Kenya, she invested in and established the largest factory for producing tissue-cultured banana seedlings in the country, providing disease-free banana seedlings to farmers and enterprises in East and Central Africa. This has effectively promoted the development of the banana industry in Kenya.
Mimano is not the only one. Every year, the CATAS welcomes groups of Africans to learn tropical agricultural techniques through visits and on-site learning and later apply their skills back in their home countries. In recent years, the CATAS has trained nearly 3,000 agricultural technicians from Africa.
Besides, the CATAS has actively established platforms for international exchanges and cooperation, and conducted technical training for foreign assistance. Over 100 experts have been sent abroad to carry out foreign-aid projects in tropical agriculture.
In recent years, China and Africa have deepened their cooperation in agricultural technology under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. By the end of 2023, China had established 24 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa. These facilities have boosted crop yields by an average of 30 to 60 percent in relevant regions, helping African countries improve their agricultural development and contributing Chinese wisdom to Africa’s agricultural modernization.
“In the future, we plan to implement various programs in Africa’s main agricultural regions. These will focus on crops like cassava and plantains, and include techniques such as localized breeding, improved seed replacement, advanced cultivation techniques, post-harvest loss reduction and comprehensive utilization, and agricultural mechanization. Our goal is to help African countries increase their crop yields and enhance their capacity for self-sufficient food security,” said Li Jihua, vice president of the CATAS.
Recently, the workshop on China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation was held in Sanya, south China’s Hainan province. More than 130 representatives from agricultural research institutions, regional organizations, and enterprises in China and African countries came together to discuss topics such as innovation in China-Africa agricultural science and technology cooperation.
“China’s tremendous success in increasing crop yields and advancing agricultural modernization through continuous technological innovation is something that Africa aspires to,” said Felix Dapare Dakora, former president of the African Academy of Sciences.