China Turns to Tanzania to Grow Soybeans for Chinese Market

 Belgium-based Comite pour l'annulation de la dette du Tiers Monde (CADTM) published on 10 February 2024 an analysis titled "A New Wave of Land Grabs Strikes Tanzania" by French-based La Via Campesina and Spanish-based GRAIN.

The focus of the analysis is an effort by a Chinese state-owned company, Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture, to invest in a major soybean production project in Tanzania and possibly other African countries.  Reportedly, the Tanzanian farmers must sell the soybeans exclusively to Longping Tanzania, which will then export them to China.  The Chinese government has offered a guarantee to purchase all of the soybeans that are produced.  Tanzanians retain ownership of the land on which the soybeans are grown while the Chinese company controls destination of the soybeans.

Comment:  To refer to this project as a land grab appears to be a misnomer.  On the other hand, it does demonstrate that China is looking to Africa, a net food importer, to increase agricultural exports to China of critical products such as soybeans.  

Impact of Foreign Land Leasing in Nile Basin

InfoNile just released an investigative report titled "Sucked Dry: Huge Swaths of Land Acquired by Foreign Investors in Africa's Nile River Basin Export Profits, Displace Communities" by lead investigators Fredrick Mugira and Annika McGinnis.

Since 2000, up to 10 million hectares of land have been acquired, usually as long-term leases, by investors in 11 countries in Africa's Nile River Basin. While some of the land deals benefit local people, most primarily benefit the foreign investors. Companies from India are the largest investors, but companies from Saudi Arabia, US, Italy, Malaysia, China, Austria, Israel, Turkey, Canada, and Singapore are also big investors.

Sudanese Land Grabs Contribute to Unrest

The Pulitzer Center posted on 30 May 2019 an article titled "Land Grabbing and Its Implications for Sudanese--Views from a Scholar" by Fredrick Mugira and Annika McGinnis. The article is based on an interview with Stefano Turrini, a scholar studying Sudanese dry lands agriculture as a PhD candidate at Padova University in Italy.

Since the beginning of this century, Sudan has significantly increased the number of long term leases it has granted to foreign companies for the purpose of growing and exporting food crops, animal feed such as alfalfa, and biofuels. These are often seen by Sudanese as land grabs and resulting in growing concerns. Most of the leases are obtained by companies from Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Syria.

The US, Horn of Africa, and the Gulf States

The Washington-based Hollings Center for International Dialogue just published a summary of its March 2017 dialogue on "Middle East and U.S. Relations with the Greater Horn of Africa."

The summary notes the growing involvement in the Greater Horn of Africa of the Gulf States, Turkey and Iran. It suggests what the United States needs to understand as these actors impact the economic, security, and religious situation in this region.

5 Myths about Chinese Investment in Africa

Foreign Policy published on 4 December 2015 a commentary titled "5 Myths about Chinese Investment in Africa" by Deborah Brautigam, Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies.

According to Brautigam, the first myth is that China is in Africa only to extract natural resources.  The second is a belief that China pledges significantly more loans and aid than is in fact the case.  The third is that Chinese companies employ mainly their own nationals in Africa.  The fourth suggests that Chinese aid and financing is a vehicle for securing oil concessions and mining rights.  The fifth is that China is gobbling up African land and even plans to send Chinese peasants to grow food in Africa to be exported to China. 

The Failure of Land Law Reform in Kenya

The Africa Research Institute published on 1 July 2015 a study titled "Whose Land Is It Anyway? The Failure of Land Law Reform in Kenya" by Ambreena Manji, Cardiff Law School. 

The author concludes that new laws have not been  redistributive or transformative in a positive way.  Longstanding grievances and injustices have not been addressed.  Legislation has failed to curtail predatory bureaucracies which in turn have stymied reform through delaying tactics and sabotage.  After adopting a progressive National Land Policy and new constitution, Kenya missed a real opportunity to enshrine in law its radical principles for land reform. 

Chinese Agricultural Engagement in Zambia

The China-Africa Research Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies published in January 2015 a policy brief titled "Chinese Agricultural Engagements in Zambia: A Grassroots Analysis" by Solange Guo Chatelard, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, and Jessica M. Chu, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

It examines the diverse scale and nature of Chinese agricultural investments in Zambia.  By situating these different forms of engagement within the broader context of the commercialization of agriculture, it identifies a complex picture of overlapping agricultural dynamics and interests.

China Hosts International Conference on Agriculture in Africa

Pambazuka News published on 18 December 2014 a summary of discussions titled "Agricultural International Cooperation in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development" by Shen Xiaolei, a PhD candidate at Peking University.  The conference took place at Peking University on October 13-14, 2014.

The conference summary is divided into the following six topics:

--Africa's rise and agricultural development.
--Africa's agricultural development and international cooperation.
--African endogeneous agro development.
--Land grab and FDI in agriculture from different countries.
--Opportunities and challenges brought by international stakeholders.
--How to measure impacts: perspectives of inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Mechanized Farming and Villagization in Ethiopia

The Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars published in August 2014 an analysis titled "Governing the Horn of Africa's Lowlands: Land Investments and Villagization in Gambella, Ethiopia" by Fana Gebresenbet Erda, a research scholar with the Africa Program of the Wilson Center.

He notes that the Ethiopian government is promoting commercial mechanized farming and villagization.  The government's goal for the villagization program is to provide new skills to farmers and herders so that they can engage in modern settled agriculture, farming, and livestock rearing.  One of the problems encountered with the program has been a lack of prior consultation.  The United States government has begun limiting the funding that can be used for the villagization program. 

Border Problems in East Africa and the Horn

Foreign Policy Magazine published on 6 August 2014 an article titled "Why East Africa's Borders Are Blowing Up" by Daniel Branch and Jason Mosley.  The article links a series of local incidents and concludes that they are shaping the region's future.

16 May Conference in Washington on China's Agricultural Investment in Africa

Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington is hosting on 16 May 2014 a conference titled "China's Agricultural Investment in Africa: 'Land Grabs' or 'Friendship Farms'?"  The conference will share findings, frameworks, and analyses of research on Chinese investment in agriculture in Africa.

Chinese Agricultural Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Perspective published in February 2014 an article titled "Chinese Agricultural Cooperation in Sub-Saharan Africa" by Jean-Jacques Gabas, a researcher at Agricultural Research for Development, and Xiaoyang Tang, an economist at Tsinghua University in  Beijing. 

The article deals with the mythology surrounding land grabs in Africa, Chinese aid and Chinese investment.  China is an important source of assistance to the agricultural sector. 

The article is available in French as "Cooperation Agricole Chinoise en Afrique Subsaharienne."

Peter Pham Testimony on Ethiopia

J. Peter Pham, director of the Ansari Africa Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, testified on 20 June 2013 before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Human Rights and International Organizations on the topic "Ethiopia after Meles: The Future of Democracy and Human Rights." 

Pham's testimony covered a variety of topics including the legacy of Meles, an initial assessment of Hailemariam Desalegn, land grabs, agricultural policy, Nile water and Muslim protests.

China/Brazil Agricultural Cooperation with Africa

The Agence Francaise de Developpement published in May 2013 a paper titled "South-South Cooperation and New Agricultural Development Aid Actors in Western and Southern Africa: China and Brazil - Case Studies." The authors are Jean-Jacques Gabas and Frederic Goulet. The goal of the study is to better understand as a result of missions in Senegal, Benin, Ghana and Mozambique the scope and methods of Chinese and Brazilian cooperation interventions in western and southern Africa's agricultural sector.

Brazil pavilion at 2010 Shanghai Expo. Flickr/thewamphyri

The study notes that China has had 50 years experience in agricultural development in Africa and its projects have remained largely unchanged in form over these years. China develops large farms and irrigation projects and invests mainly in rice, cotton and sugar production and in processing industries.

China only recently has become involved in triangular cooperation with other donors, most frequently with international institutions such as the Food and Agricultural Organization and less commonly bilaterally with countries like the UK.

Multiple Chinese stakeholders intervene in the agricultural sector without any real coordination. Their interventions are increasingly managed by major public and private Chinese companies as well as by development banks. Financing agricultural and rural developments is increasingly tied to other infrastructure projects through concessional loans.

Much criticism has been directed towards China's technical cooperation where dialogue remains difficult and where extension services are becoming fee based.

Conflict in Sudan's Blue Nile State

The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 18 June 2013 an extensive report titled "Sudan's Spreading Conflict (II): War in Blue Nile."  It covers all aspects of the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Blue Nile State.

The ICG concludes that Blue Nile State has become a major battleground for the ideological competition between two opposed models: Khartoum's attempts at unifying and centralizing the country with a dominant Arab-Islamic identity, which South Sudan's separation is paradoxically reviving, versus the rebel SPLM/A's and now Sudan Revolutionary Front's agenda for a more inclusive and devolved Sudan.  Attempts to resolve Blue Nile's past and current conflicts reflect Sudan's existential dilemma as to how best it should define itself.

China and Africa in 2023

The Center for China-US Cooperation in the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver hosted a one day conference on "China in Africa" on 1 February 2013.  The organizers invited me to give the keynote luncheon address.  I took the occasion to predict the way the China-Africa relationship will look in 2023 in a speech titled China and Africa: The Next Decade.

Land Leases in Ethiopia

The Oakland Institute, an independent U.S. policy think tank whose mission is to increase public debate on critical social, economic and environmental issues has been studying the issue of long-term land leases in Africa. Ethiopia is one of the first countries that it studied. For its reporting, which tends to be critical of Ethiopian government policies, click here. The Oakland Institute on 19 March 2012 sent an Open Letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hailemariam Desalegn responding to an earlier communication from the Ministry concerning the Institute's analysis of the situation in Ethiopia.

The Oakland Institute in its Open Letter commended the decision by the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture to suspend land allocations for investment purposes until it has time to make further assessments. The decision by the Ministry of Agriculture is contained in an article in the 19 March issue of The Reporter titled "Ethiopia Suspends Providing Agriculture Land for Investment." Assuming The Reporter article is accurate, this is a fascinating development concerning a controversial issue in Ethiopia and a number of other African countries.