On October 27^th, 2018, Center for International Agricultural Research (CIAR) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) held the workshop on “Agricultural Technology Transfer in China and Africa: Impacts, Mechanisms and Partnerships” in Beijing, which was supported by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). This workshop is a mid-term activity of the China-African Agricultural Technology Transfer Mechanisms and Impacts research project, which is carried out jointly by Agriculture Information Institute of CAAS, and IFPRI. More than 40 representatives from China International Development Cooperation Agency, Foreign Economic Cooperation Center of MOA, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), international organizations and related enterprises attended the workshop.

 

The opening ceremony was presided by Dr. Nie Fengying, Deputy Director General of the CIAR of CAAS. Mr. Liu Xiaoheng from China International Development Cooperation Agency, Dr. Gong Xifeng, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS, Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of FARA, Dr. Kristin Davis, Senior Research Fellow of IFPRI, attended the workshop and delivered speeches. Dr. Kevin Chen, Senior Research Fellow and Director of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia office of IFPRI, gave the keynote speech which presented: 1. the progressing research findings on the economic and social impact analysis of China-Africa agricultural technology transfer, taking rice and maize as examples, 2. findings on the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of China-Africa agricultural technology transfer.

In the second part of the workshop, CIAR-CAAS, IFPRI, GFAR and FARA jointly put forward the initiative to establish the Consortium on China-Africa Agricultural Technology Transfer. Representatives participating in the workshop discussed the initiative in-depth and reached a preliminary consensus. The Consortium aims at building an open platform for advancing academic research, innovative practices and knowledge shared on China-Africa agricultural technology transfer and south-south cooperation, and step by step, it will help to modernize agriculture, increase growth and reduce poverty in Africa. Consortium members will jointly promote frontier academic and policy research, conduct documentation and consultation of the best practices, facilitate south-south cooperation on knowledge sharing and mutual learning, and organize annual conferences, workshops and other activities to disseminate research findings and bridge the gap between policy makers and academia.