Southern Africa Beyond the West Conference
The journal of Southern African Studies is hosting its 1st Biennial Conference on ‘Southern Africa Beyond the West’ in August 2015 in Livingstone, Zambia. The conference aims to look at the ‘Political, Economic and Cultural Relationships with the BRICS & the Global South’ as the influence of Western powers on the region is in relative decline.
(Africa Desk)
Call for Papers on BRICS and Agrarian Change
The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies has launched a call for papers on the subject of ‘Rural Transformations and Food Systems – The BRICS and Agrarian Change in the Global South’. Four sub-themes are listed too. The deadline for the call for papers is February 14th and the event will take place on April 20-21 at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
(Future Agricultures)
Africa to work with China on food security
This article looks at some Chinese agricultural cooperation programmes with African countries. It cites support from senior Ugandan and Senegalese ministers for China’s agricultural cooperation programmes, and looks at some of the forms of cooperation already in existence. Sichuan Province, which built an Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centre in Uganda in 2010, sent over a further delegation in December 2014.
(Farmingportal.co.za)
Zimbabwe MoA to account for Chinese agricultural loan
Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Agriculture has failed to account for a payment of $12million to a farming equipment supplier called Farmers’ World. The article suggests that the Ministry has some sort of interest in the company, and the allegation is that the Ministry had borrowed funds from the China Exim-Bank to purchase agricultural machinery from them.
(AllAfrica)
Africa in 2015
This list of ’10 Things to Consider’ on Africa in 2015 mentions the upcoming 6th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) due to take place in South Africa. It raises the question of whether African engagement with other ‘Rising Powers’ such as Brazil, India and Turkey will lead to less engagements with China and comes with a linked publication on the subject of the conference.
(AllAfrica)
This news roundup has been collected on behalf of the China and Brazil in African Agriculture (CBAA) project.
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