At an urban agricultural demonstration center in Addis Ababa, where rows of leafy greens and towering hydroponic systems stand against the city’s skyline, China and the African Union Commission reaffirmed their commitment to transforming Africa’s agricultural landscape. The partnership, renewed on August 30, 2025, aims to accelerate the adoption of modern farming technologies and build more resilient agri-food systems across the continent.
The collaboration comes at a critical time. Africa’s food security challenges—exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and supply chain disruptions—demand innovative solutions. China’s role in this effort is not new, but the renewed agreement underscores a deeper, more structured approach to addressing these issues. Over the past decade, China has established over 20 agricultural technology demonstration centers in Africa, introducing more than 300 advanced farming techniques. These initiatives have reached over a million smallholder farmers, offering them tools to boost productivity and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the AU, emphasized that agricultural cooperation remains a cornerstone of China-Africa relations. “China’s agricultural technical assistance has contributed to the steady advancement of agricultural modernization in Africa,” he noted during the “Meet China in Africa” event. Beyond technology transfer, China has deployed over 500 agricultural experts to the continent and trained nearly 9,000 African agricultural professionals, strengthening local capacity to sustain long-term growth.
The impact of these efforts is visible in places like the Addis Ababa demonstration center, where Chinese agronomists work alongside Ethiopian farmers to test drought-resistant crops, vertical farming techniques, and soil management practices. Melese Anshebo, deputy commissioner of Addis Ababa’s Farmers and Urban Agriculture Development, explained that these innovations have already improved yields for local communities while reducing reliance on rain-fed agriculture—a vulnerable system in the face of erratic weather patterns.
For the African Union, the partnership aligns with broader continental goals. Patience Mhuriro-Mashapa, an agriculture and food security expert at the AU Commission, highlighted how China’s support complements the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). “Modernized agriculture can redeem Africa from perpetual food insecurity,” she said, pointing to the need for scalable solutions that integrate technology, training, and policy reforms. The collaboration also fosters knowledge exchange, with African researchers and policymakers gaining exposure to China’s own agricultural transformation—a journey that lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty through mechanization, high-yield seeds, and market reforms.
Yet challenges remain. While demonstration centers and training programs show promise, scaling these solutions across Africa’s diverse agricultural zones requires sustained investment, infrastructure development, and policy coordination. Critics also note the importance of ensuring that technology transfers are adapted to local contexts, rather than imposing one-size-fits-all models. The success of this partnership may hinge on how well it balances innovation with inclusivity, ensuring that smallholder farmers—the backbone of Africa’s food systems—are not left behind.
What’s clear is that the renewed China-AU agreement signals a shift from short-term aid to long-term collaboration. By focusing on resilience—through climate-smart agriculture, digital farming tools, and strengthened supply chains—the partnership aims to move Africa closer to self-sufficiency. For farmers in Addis Ababa and beyond, the stakes are high, but the potential rewards—greater food security, economic stability, and rural development—are even higher.