Friday, May 8, 2020

African Food Security and China's Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers

Development Reimagined published on 8 May 2020 an analysis titled "China's Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers: Do They Help Africa's Food Security Needs?"

The analysis looks at the 27 Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers (ATDC) in Africa, which are operated by the Chinese government and Chinese private sector jointly. The results are mixed. A few of the ATDCs have failed but at least 11 of those in commercial operation have been so for five or more years. The study found that the commercial element of the model often constrains ATDCs because decisions and activities become profit-driven rather than need-driven There are also many local factors that prevent the benefits of the ATDC project from becoming scalable and are often not considered by Chinese ATDC staff.