August 13, 2010

China has agreed to transfer agricultural technology to Africa to enable the continent to boost production and thereby guarantee world food security, Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said.

The Beijing declaration for the massive agricultural technology transfer came as the China-Africa Agricultural Forum drew to a close Thursday (Aug 12).

The Chinese deputy Prime Minister Hui Liangyu said global food security should be the number one priority of governments, given that acute food shortages were bound to lead to food crises and hence social and political instability.

"China is the largest developing economy able to feed 20% of the world's population on the proceeds of 9% of the planet's arable land. If we partner with Africa which has a much higher percentage of arable land yet contains most of the developing countries, we should be able to guarantee international food security," Hui said.

The declaration called for a leap in Africa's agricultural output by transforming its rural agriculture through an infusion of Chinese agricultural characteristics, the statement said.

This will involve educating rural farmers, setting up modern farming demonstration centres, using better quality seeds, and new technology in appropriate farming machinery as well as soil improvement techniques, according to the statement.