The document summarizes emerging findings from a study on Brazil and China's cooperation for agriculture development in Africa. It finds that both countries emphasize mutually beneficial partnerships through technical cooperation projects. For Brazil, agriculture is a main cooperation sector, with Embrapa leading many projects, while China focuses on technology transfer through demonstration centers. However, the studies also find that both countries' approaches largely ignore social and cultural contexts, which can lead to cooperation failures.
Brazil and China cooperation for agriculture development in Africa
1. Accra
21-23 March 2012
Brazil and China cooperation for
agriculture development in Africa
An FAC scoping study by
Alex Shankland (IDS), Jing Gu (IDS), Lídia Cabral (ODI)
and Lila Buckley (IIED)
2. Outline Accra
21-23 March 2012
1. Background
2. Research focus and objectives
3. Emerging findings
4. Upcoming activities
5. Future plans
3. Background Accra
21-23 March 2012
Emerging economies or rising powers are becoming
prominent players in international development
World Economic League Table (GDP)
Rank 2011 2020 forecast
1 US US
2 China China
3 Japan Japan
4 Germany Russia
5 France India
6 Brazil Brazil
7 UK Germany
8 Italy UK
9 Russia France
10 India Italy
Source: Centre for Economics and Business Research
4. Background Accra
21-23 March 2012
• Emerging economies are expanding their development
cooperation activities
• Their role is increasingly recognized by the international aid
system - focus on South-South cooperation in Busan HLF4
• Trilateral cooperation involving North and South donors is
becoming a common feature in the aid business
• In 2011, China released its first White Paper on Foreign Aid
and South Africa and India launched their official foreign aid
agencies
• Emerging economies’ focus in Africa and agriculture is
significant and remains understudied
5. Background Accra
21-23 March 2012
• A great deal of speculation on the interest of Brazilian farmers
to access land in Africa for high-value non-food crop
production – some controversial press about deals linking
cooperation projects with land concession in Mozambique
• Same on China – much press hype in recent years about
China’s ‘land grab’ in Africa, but very little evidence of
Chinese-owned large-scale export-oriented agriculture
production
• But the reality, for both countries, seems much more nuanced
and complex, with multiple actors engaging in multiple ways
6. Focus and objectives Accra
21-23 March 2012
• Focus: Brazil and China cooperation activities in Africa to
support agricultural development
• Objectives: (i) document experiences of emerging cooperation
programmes, (ii) understand the rationale, novelty and value
added of the approaches used and (iii) discuss implications for
cooperation practices and for African agricultures
• Overarching research question: are the rising powers
establishing new paradigms for agriculture development in
Africa through their development cooperation programmes?
• Issues to cover: institutional mapping, projects inventory,
policies and discourse, actors, networks and their agendas,
interface with local processes
8. Brazil findings 1 Accra
21-23 March 2012
General features of Brazilian cooperation
• Cooperation as an instrument of foreign policy – solidarity rhetoric dominates
but geopolitical drives are visible
• Cooperation portrayed as mutually beneficial horizontal (South-South)
partnership but economic motivations often concealed
• Relatively small in volume (est. USD 362 million* for 2010), though quickly
expanding, but offering models developing countries are eager to emulate
• New modalities emerging – concessional export credits (including for
agriculture) becoming relatively significant and trilateral cooperation
• Institutional segmentation and policy void
• Coordination gaps – coordination at operational level (ABC) but no obvious
direction on content, apart from high level diplomacy
• Africa focus strong – 57% of TC in 2010, plus vigorous diplomatic agenda,
growing trade and bulging private investment (mining, oil, construction – and a
lot of speculation on the interest of Brazilian farmers in accessing African land)
9. Brazil findings 2 Accra
21-23 March 2012
Overview of Brazilian cooperation in agriculture in Africa
• Agriculture as main sector of
cooperation in Africa
Technical cooperation in Africa, 2003-10
• Lusophone countries as main recipients
but expanding number of partner Social
development
countries (currently approx. 26) 2%
Other
17%
Planning Agriculture
• Wide range of issues covered – 2% 26%
research, training and transfer of Urban
development
improved varieties/techniques Public
3%
predominant administration
4%
• More than 20 Brazilian institutions Energy
5%
actively involved Environment
• Embrapa dominates portfolio 5%
Education and
Health
22%
• but others gaining space: MDA with its professional
training
‘family farming’ focus 14%
• Brazilian civil society slowly stepping in Source: ABC
10. Brazil findings 3 Accra
21-23 March 2012
Cotton 4: Benin, Burkina Project highlights Aquisição de Alimentos:
Faso, Chad and Mali (since 2009)
• Emerges as result of successful Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and
WTO cotton subsidy dispute Senegal (just launched)
• Aims to improve quality and • Aims to address food insecurity and
productivity of cotton in WA strengthen local food markets
region • Led by MDA and MDS
• Focused mostly on research • Adapts similar programme in operation
and extension within Brazil
• Led by Embrapa • Trilateral partnership with WTO and FAO
• Approx $5 million for phase I • $2.4 million committed by Brazil
• First large project in the
agriculture portfolio*
Mais Alimentos África: ProSavana: Mozambique (since 2011)
Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Senegal • Ag-focused regional development
and Kenya (just launched) programme along Nacala corridor
• Aims to increase productivity and food • Aims to replicate Brazilian savannah
security by improving access to transformation
technology • Led by Embrapa
• Combines concessional credit facility to • Said to combine commercial largescale
buy Brazilian agric machinery and and smallscale production systems
equipment with technical assistance • Trilateral cooperation Japan-Brazil-
• Led by MDA Mozambique
• Adapts similar programme in operation • $13 million for phase I (5 yrs)
within Brazil since 2008
• $640 million worth of credit for 2011- and trends
12
11. Brazil findings 4 Accra
21-23 March 2012
Emerging hypotheses
1. The blending of moral and pragmatic drives in Brazilian
cooperation mirrors the competing motivations within
government and society with regards to foreign affairs
2. Policy void as reflection of segmentation of cooperation
framework and domestic agricultural governance
3. Contrasting narratives/visions of agricultural development
4. The affinities Brazil-Africa are often overestimated and are
use as political rhetoric
5. Technocratic approach to development, which strips Brazilian
domestic experiences of their political baggage and is ill-
informed of local politics, society and culture
12. China findings 1 Accra
21-23 March 2012
General features of Chinese cooperation
• China has become the largest trading partner with Africa, reaching USD 160
billion in 2011, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
• Plurality of cooperation(s) and relationships forged: all formal political, social
and economic engagement with African countries is guided by the Forum on
China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). However, there are increasing numbers of
engagements outside this realm: Chinese immigrants to Africa acting
independently; Chinese hires by African firms; some civil society partnerships.
• Official rhetoric of equality and mutual benefit through ‘pragmatic
cooperation’, promoting ‘political dialogue and economic cooperation and
trade, with a view to seeking mutual reinforcement & common development’.
• Framed as ‘South-South’ collaboration emphasizing long history of ‘Chinese
African friendship’, with China as a developing country leading in the ‘modern
revival of developing countries’ worldwide (CATTF 2011).
• New modalities emerging – emphasis on economic trade as cooperation;
trilateral relationships emerging with OECD donors and UN bodies.
13. Accra
21-23 March 2012
Source: http://afrographique.tumblr.com/
14. China findings 2 Accra
21-23 March 2012
Overview of Chinese cooperation in agriculture in Africa
• Chinese government has committed to building Agriculture Technology Demonstration
Centers in 20 countries. Aim is to collaborate with local agriculture ministries to ‘boost
agriculture production’ in host countries. Focus on technology transfer: seed varieties;
planting techniques; production and (some) processing techniques, clean energy
technology.
• Mixture of agriculture aid, trade and investment: demonstration centers are aid
programs run by Chinese companies and joint ventures which are meant to manage them
sustainably after a set time period. Agriculture makes up less than 10% of China's
outbound investments, but this is growing rapidly.
• Mutual benefit discourse informed by ecological optimism about Africa’s agriculture
development potential: Benefits host country by introducing new food varieties (eg soy as
new protein source); ‘improved’ foods (eg ‘superior’ GM crops); post-production
processing techniques (eg packaging to retain freshness). Benefits China by helping meet
demand for certain goods (animal feed, cotton, forest products, tobacco)
• Focus on government over local communities: Chinese actors tend to focus collaboration
on African host country government actors rather than non-state actors. They tend to be
surprised when efforts meet with local resistance despite having government approval.
15. China findings 3 Accra
21-23 March 2012
Emerging hypotheses
1. Chinese engagements in Africa are redefining the landscape of ‘aid’
from a paradigm of development assistance to one of development
cooperation mixed with development investment
2. Agriculture cooperation is guided by a strong belief in the Chinese
project of modernization, which has a strong technocratic
approach, and an ecological optimism about Africa’s agriculture
potential
3. Largely ignores socio-cultural contexts of agriculture development
and food security, leading to cooperation frustrations and failures
4. Emerging trilateral agriculture cooperation initiatives between
China-OECD-African partner may address some of these
shortcomings, but research on actual experience is sparse
16. Upcoming activities Accra
21-23 March 2012
• FAC public event in Brasília in May: The Role of South-South
Cooperation in Agricultural Development in Africa:
Opportunities and Challenges
• Hosted by UNDP’s International Poverty Centre for Inclusive
Growth with co-funding from DFID
• High profile guests from Brazilian development cooperation
domain (Foreign Affairs, Embrapa, Ministry of Agrarian
Development, civil society organisations) as well as from
Africa, China and the international research community
• Panels on Brazilian cooperation framework, Brazilian
agricultural policy and governance, the Green Growth agenda
in South-South cooperation, and China-Brazil compared
• Poverty in Focus special issue
17. Future research plans Accra
21-23 March 2012
• Mozambique case-study on Brazil cooperation: the dual
policy narrative in practice, looking at Nacala corridor project
(ProSavana) and new MDA-led initiatives
• Senegal case-study on China cooperation: empirical look at
the emerging trilateral agriculture engagements, exploring an
FAO SSC project jointly implemented by the Chinese and
Senegalese Ministries of Agriculture
• Wider research proposal (submitted to ESRC rising powers
call) for larger 3-yr research project looking at China and Brazil
across 4 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and
Zimbabwe) aiming to examine in detail the new relationships
in African agriculture
18. Accra
21-23 March 2012
More on the FAC website soon!
Hinweis der Redaktion
BRIC countries are highlighted here, but there are other emerging economies with increasing role.The significance of the BRIC is partly because of their weight in the global economy, which makes them major trade partners, sources of FDI and sources of influence in global governance.
India Agency for Partnership and DevelopmentSouth African Development Partnership Agency
Trade facts:Bilateral trade Brazil-Africa averaged USD 21 billion in 2007/2009 and growing – Cindes paper 2011It represents 2.3% of Brazil’s imports and 2.3% of the continents imports (2007/09)Main Brazilian exports to Africa: sugar and sugar-based processed products (confeitaria) and meat – 26 and 12 per cent respectively in 2008/10Main Brazilian imports from Africa: oil and minerals (85%) and fertiliser (5%)FDI facts:Significant data gaps (because the way Brazilian companies register their foreign investments – tax heavens)Oil, mining and construction as main sectorsAngola as main destinationTechnical cooperation by SENAI on professional training as vehicle to promote Brazilian businesses* This includes contributions to multilateral orgs (technical cooperation alone under 50 million). The estimate would increase significantly if concessional lending was included (estimated to represent about 42% of total Brazilian assistance)
Issues covered by Brazilian cooperation in agriculture (examples):Technology transfer/extension (Angola)Rural professional training (Angola)Strengthening agricultural research systems (Angola, Cape Verde)Strengthening fitosanitary inspection systems (Angola)Soil conservation techniques (Algeria)Strengthening milk production chain (Algeria, Burkina), meat production chain (Botswana)Introduction of improved varieties of horticultures (Cape Verde), cotton (Benin, Mali, Burkina and Chad) and production techniques (e.g. cocoa in Cameroon and Congo and sugar cane in Congo)Strengthening agriculture coops (Benin, Botswana)Etc.In Ghana:Forest plantations development (Embrapa)Bio-energy – training of human resources on regulation and technology (Embrapa)Biotechnology on cassava – training of human resources (Embrapa)
* (average project size $500,000)Some trends these examples help illustrating:From small one-off to larger and longer projects (projetosestruturantes)Adaptation of successful policies (MaisAlimentos, Aquisição de Alimentos)Modality mixing (TA + concessional lending) – hinting links with commercial transactions?Triangular cooperation – ProSavana in Mozambique
Limited knowledge about Africa is one of the limitations to further expansion of Brazilian private investment in the continent, according to a study by IPEA (2011)
Brautigam (2009) estimates China disbursed about USD1.4 billion to Africa in 2009 as ODAThe Forum on China-Africa Co-operation is a platform established by China and friendly African countries for collective consultation and dialogue and a cooperation mechanism between the developing countries, which falls into the category of South-South cooperation. The characteristics of the Forum are as follows: Pragmatic Cooperation: Its purpose is to strengthen consultation and expand cooperation and its focus is on cooperation. Equality and Mutual Benefit: It promotes both political dialogue and economic cooperation and trade, with a view to seeking mutual reinforcement and common development.CATTF:China Africa Think Tanks Forum
As of 2010, over 100 ‘senior agriculture experts’ had been assigned to 33 African countries, with at least 50 more teams committed in future.
China is forthright about the links between charitable assistance and profit-oriented transactions – both are part of its 'equality and mutual benefit' and 'pragmatic cooperation' approach towards development and contrast with the aid-focused approach to development traditional donors tend to use, at least until Busan (new paradigm)
The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) is UNDP’s global forum for policy dialogue and South-South learning on development innovations. HQ in Brasília.Poverty in Focus in IPC-IG flagship publication.
Additional Senegal work: research will follow the track of a Chinese official who directed a bilateral cooperation project in agriculture in Senegal for several years and is now involved in a trilateral cooperation project between China-FAO-Senegal. In China, this person works on agriculture extension to Chinese farmers and can therefore offer a view on China's policy within the country and how this is being applied abroad, as well as contrast the frameworks of bilateral and trilateral cooperation.ERSC proposal framed to consider four levels:discourses at the global levelthe political economy of national-level policy processes within the rising powers’ domestic realms…and in their interface with beneficiary country institutionsthe micro-level interactions that emerge around specific cooperation projects in beneficiary countries.