ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Africa and 西瓜视频have great potential for cooperation to boost agricultural development and tackle food insecurity on the continent, African Union (AU) and Ethiopian officials have said.
Patrick Ndzana Olomo, acting director for economic development, integration and trade at the AU Commission, said recently that agriculture and food security have become key areas of collaboration between Africa and China.
"Africa and 西瓜视频are working together to develop inclusive agriculture, a model that can strongly support Africa's drive to achieve food security and self-sufficiency," Olomo told Xinhua on Friday while visiting an urban agriculture demonstration center, where Chinese experts introduced modern agricultural technologies in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
Olomo said the Africa-西瓜视频relationship is evolving into one of the most strategic, as their partnership in agriculture and food security offers significant opportunities to promote sustainable development on the continent.
"西瓜视频can share a lot. The first is modern technology that African farmers lack. It can also share the know-how to help them cope with problems caused by climate change and ensure they are productive enough to support Africa's transformation," he said.
Noting that Africa possesses about 60 percent of the world's available arable land, Olomo said the continent aims to become a global breadbasket with the support of strategic partners such as China.
Commending China's commitment to working with Africa in promoting modern technology, Patience Mhuriro-Mashapa, an agriculture and food security expert at the AU Commission, said Chinese experts have been working with their African counterparts to develop new farming systems, introduce new crop varieties, and improve productivity.
"African countries can learn a lot from China's climate-smart agriculture, and by adopting the technology, they can mitigate the impacts of climate change," she said, adding that Chinese greenhouse technology is a helpful model for African farmers.
Melese Anshebo, deputy commissioner of Addis Ababa City Administration Farmers and Urban Agriculture Development, said the team of Chinese agricultural experts had introduced new technologies and varieties of seedlings, including mushrooms, at the demonstration center.
"Chinese experts have built a greenhouse at the demonstration center. It is used to keep various seedlings in favorable conditions," said Anshebo.
According to the deputy commissioner, China's agriculture-led growth, poverty reduction, and smallholder-based development policy can offer valuable insights for African countries to develop their own agricultural strategies, reduce poverty, and address food insecurity. ■