31 October 2014: China and Brazil in African agriculture – news roundup

 

BRICS UN Nutrition meeting focuses on hunger and malnutrition

BRICS countries met at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), ahead of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) scheduled to take place in November 2014. “Hunger” was the focus of a public debate about nutrition, including what they termed “hidden hunger” in the form of micronutrient deficiencies.
(Prensa Latina / Brazil Business)

FAOSTAT Website

Deborah Brautigam highlights the value of the FAOSTAT website for agricultural statistics concerning China-Africa agricultural relations. She mentions it has been useful in her research to show that despite narratives of China wanting to source more food in Africa, at present it is exporting far more food to Africa than it is importing.
(China in Africa: the real story)

China Agricultural University honours President Kikwete

China Agricultural University has awarded Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, an honorary Professorship for his work on a green revolution. In his acceptance speech he said that “China motivates us very much and it makes us believe that we can make quick economic transformations for our people, just as long as we have the right policies that are tailor-made for the economy”.
(Daily News)

International GMO conference held in Wuhan

Amidst the ongoing controversy over Genetically Modified Crops in China, an international conference on the subject was held in Wuhan with the China Academy of Sciences on October 16th and 17th. Seminars involved researchers from China, Brazil and the USA among other countries. It is currently illegal to sell genetically modified rice in China on the open market, along with several other types of seed.
(ifeng.com – in Chinese / SecureMyMind.com – in Chinese)

Public Private (Farmer) Partnerships

A new research project between IDS, IIED and the International Fund for Agricultural Development has been looking at how to create successful Public Private Partnerships in the agricultural sector. Their initial findings are presented in this blog with the final report due to be published in early 2015.
(Globalisation and Development blog)

This news roundup has been collected on behalf of the China and Brazil in African Agriculture (CBAA) project.

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