Chinese Agricultural Aid in Tanzania: Reproduction of Chinese Agricultural R egime

1. Chinese Agricultural Aid in Tanzania: Reproduction of Chinese Agricultural Regime Zhang Yue PhDCandidate College of Humanities and Development Studies/ ResearchCenterofInternationalDevelopment, China Agricultural University 14，Feb,2014Canberra

2. OUTLINE • Background • Research goal • Methodology • Research findings -Technology -Institution -Reality

3. Background • China as a new development partner In recent years, China is undergoing important transformation from a recipient country to a new donor, attracting a growing research interest in China’s aid. • China’sexperiencesinagriculturaldevelopment China’s agriculture annual average growthrate is4.5 percent(1978–2009), total grain output at 2.4 percent and population at 1.07 percent. Agriculture and total grain output consequently outpaced population growth, which enabled China to feed a population accounting for 20 per cent of the world’s total from its limited arable land (11 percent of the world’s total) using water resources equivalent to 25 percent of the world average (Huang 2008). Agriculture growthisan important contributor to reducing China’s rural poverty

4. Background • China’sagriculturalforeignaid 4.3%oftotalChineseforeignaid(until2009) Chineseagricultural aid to Africa is growing rapidly and having increasingly important impact on African agricultural development and poverty reduction. • Agriculturalaidforms -Farm -Experiment and promotion stations of agro-technology -Constructing farmland irrigation and water-conservancy projects -Supplying agricultural machinery and implements, farm produce processing equipment and related agricultural materials -Dispatching agrotechnicians and senior agricultural experts to pass on agricultural production technologies and provide consultations on rural development, and training agricultural personnel for recipient countries -Agriculturaltechnologydemonstrationcenter(2006)

5. Background • ChineseAgriculturalTechnologyDemonstrationCenter Chinese agricultural technology demonstration center is one of the main forms of Chinese agricultural aid after the third Forum on China-Africa Cooperation FOCAC in 2006. • TanzaniaCase 2008-2009.06preparation 2009.10-2010.10construction 2011.04handovertoTanzaniaGovernment Investment:40millionRMB The center covers a total area of 62 hectares,andwillexpress 3 functions: 1.Experiment and Research：The experiment will be a blend of all the trials for rice, maize, vegetable, tissue culture of banana, as well as trial in raising egg layer. 2.Training：Train the agricultural official, technicians, service personnel and the local farmers with the advanced technologies. Train 300 person annually. 3.Demonstration and Extending：Demonstrateandextendnewvarietiesandmatchingcultivationtechniques.

6. Thiscenterprovides a good case for understanding realities and nature of Chineseagricultural aid.

7. Researchgoal • The purpose of the research is to provide a picture of how Chinese experts do agricultural aid in African countries. • I explore the following questions through the case studyofChineseAgriculturalTechnologyDemonstrationCenterinTanzania:WhoareimplementingagriculturalaidprojectinAfricancountries?Whataretheydoingindailywork?Whatknowledgeandtechnologiesofagriculturalproductiondotheyintroducetolocalpeople?Whatistheinstitutionalarrangementoftheaidproject?WhatdoesthecenterachieveinhelpingTanzania’sagricultureproduction?WhatarethesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweentheChineseAgriculturalTechnologyDemonstrationCenterprojectandwesterndonor’sagriculturalprojects?… • Through the empirical study, I argue that ofChineseAgriculturalTechnologyDemonstrationis a process of reproduction of Chinese agricultural development experiences,consisting of biologicalhigh-yieldtechnologyandstate-driven, market-mediatedinstitutionalarrangement.

8. Methodology Ethnographic methodologies are employed in my field research in Chinese agricultural technology demonstration center in Tanzania. I lived in the centerandworked alongside a team of six Chinese agronomistsandtenlocalemployeesforalmostthreemonths. Informationcollectingtechniques: • Participatory observation • Interviews • Second-handdata

9. Research Findings

10. 1.Technology 1.1 China’s technology-centeredagriculturalmodernization • Mao’s“Eight-Point Charter for Agriculture” -soil improvement -fertilizer application -water conservancy -seed-strain improvement -close planting -plant protection -field management -tool reform • Highbiologicalyield

11. 1.2Chineseagronomistsapplyagriculturaltechnologies,whichareusedandusinginChina’sownagriculturedevelopment, in Tanzania. • The Demonstration Center of China agricultural technology in Tanzania was designed to be a platform for trial, demonstration and training, focusing on rice. • The rice trials used several selected Chinese high-yield and high-quality hybrid rice varieties and local conventional rice varieties to do controlled trial. Chinese experts designed and did the fieldwork mainly by themselves in the whole process of rice cultivation, and strictly followed the field management principles that they do in China. Deep plowing on the trial farmland, which is dry and overgrown with weeds; preparing paddy field；transplanting; applying appropriate fertilizer in accurate timing; sufficient and timely irrigation, weeding and pest control. They work in the field almost everyday, without weekend.

12. 1.3 Chinesericevarietiesandmatchingcultivationtechniquesbringhighyield to African land. • The trial result showed that the yield of Chinese hybrid varieties is about twice of the yield of the local conventional varieties.

13. 1.4Chinesericetechnologywiththemaincharacterofhighyieldattractedlocalfarmers’attention.1.4Chinesericetechnologywiththemaincharacterofhighyieldattractedlocalfarmers’attention. • In the time of harvest, the Demonstration Center held a field show and invited farmers and agricultural technicians nearby to come and see. One Chinese expert said to visitors: “The characters of Chinese variety are high yield, big rice ear, and short growth period. Under same investment, Chinese hybrid varieties’ yield will at least increase 50%.” And in another occasion Chinese experts also said, “if you are interested in Chinese varieties, you can get them, but you must cultivate it follow our requirement and standers. If you cultivate Chinese varieties in your conventional way, you still can not get high yield”. • One local farmer, who is also a safeguard in the center, said: “They(the Chinese Experts)are demonstrating how to plant rice, they show the spacing, if you want to plant in space, you plant like this, you plant the seed when it is in this size, this and that, you use this fertilizer, you use this amount of water, you use this amount of seeds. And the season goes very fast, and the result is there. Then everyone see. There is light shining there that if you doing this, the poverty will be alleviated. Some villagers say Chinese can do everything”.

14. 1.5 Agricultural technologies and knowledgedemonstrated in the Chinese agricultural technology demonstration center center in Tanzania, is exactly China’s ownexperiencesinagricultural development, achievinghigh biological yieldbyusingimprovedvarietiesandlabor-intensifiedhigh-yieldcultivationtechniques.

15. 2. Institution 2.1Chineseagriculturaltechnologyextensionhistoryandexperiences • Commercial reform(1990s) • State-driven, market-mediated and small farmer-based strategy • Multi-functional • Practical

16. 2.2Thecenter’s management structure and operation mode show that Chinese state-market relationship is the underlying principle of Chinese aid program. The government allows companies to engage in aid program to ensure sustainability based on multi-functional goals. • TheChinesegovernment(MOA,MOFCOM)set up basic principles and cooperation structure, monitor,andevaluate. • The project has been carried out by Chongqing Sino-Tanzania Agriculture Development Co., Ltd

17. MinistryofAgriculture MinistryofCommerce People’sgovernmentofChongqing Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences ChongqingZhongyiSeedCompany Chongqing Sino-Tanzania Agriculture Development Co., Ltd TheCenter(sixChineseagronomists)

18. 2.3 Theengagementofprivatesectormakesthegovernment-ledagriculturaltechnologydemonstrationcenterintoamulti-functionalproject,andimprovesefficiencyandsustainabilityoftheaidproject.

19. 3. Reality • All of these above show that Chinese agricultural aid is deeply shaped by China’s own agricultural developmentexperiences, which is the basic political and cultural character of Chinese aid. • When Chinese agricultural development experiences met African agricultural reality, inadaptabilityshowedup.AgriculturaltechnologiesrootedinChina’ssocialandeconomicconditioncannotfullyadaptedtoAfrica’srealitywithoutadjustment.

20. High yield only in the center’strial land,notlocalfamers’untilnow. Explanations: 1.Chinesehigh-yieldvarietyVSlocalconventionalvariety(Taste) 2.HighinputVSlowincome(Fertilizerandmachinery) 3.Labor-intensiveVSlandintensive(resource endowment) 4.StronggovernmentVSrelativelyweakgovernment

21. Two projects in one village There are two agricultural aid projects going on in this small village. One is the Chinese agricultural technology demonstration center and the other one is USAIDFeedtheFutureInitiatives. Itriedtoillustratesomedifferencesbetweenthistwoprojectsbydetails.

22. Thank you! Email:zhangyue.email@gmail.com