Jean-Joseph Boillot's viewpoint
Interview with Jean-Joseph Boillot, professor of economics and social science, and advisor to CEPII, the French research centre in international economics, on large emerging economies.
Why do emerging countries intervene in the agricultural sector in Africa?
Policies, market security and technical cooperation are the three components of the intervention logic of China and India, to which I would also add an agro-industrial component for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The common denominator between emerging countries is that Africa is clearly viewed as a potential agricultural giant. This drives the intervention strategy of emerging countries towards Africa.
How do the intervention methods of emerging countries differ from developed countries?
There is a fundamental difference between the North and South. The North does not need to invest in African agriculture since it is basically in a surplus situation from an agricultural standpoint. Its intervention logic is focused on the export of finished products or raw materials to Africa, while providing technical assistance to promote agricultural development.
For the South, partnerships are much more balanced because emerging countries need to tap Africa’s agricultural potential, which in turn is developed through large-scale agro-industrial farms, or serves to secure agricultural supply. This last point is especially relevant for China, with its growing import market, and India, which is addressing two major challenges concerning saturation of available land and high pressure on water resources. For political reasons, the two countries are also developing real technical agricultural cooperation regarding seeds, equipment and cropping methods under a genuinely balanced partnership logic.
Could Chinese and Indian agricultural development experience serve as a model for Africa?
Basically, yes! China and India implemented initiatives - most of which were successful - to deal with a major food crisis affecting them during 1960-1980. They are now readily able to feed their people. China and India have different experiences that are both useful for Africa. In India, the Green Revolution is focused on small- and medium-scale rural farms, while being highly labour intensive, and water/input efficient. This process is combined with agricultural research on new varieties, including ‘made in India’ GMOs that fulfil the need to save resources.
In contrast, Chinese agricultural development is based on the management of cash crops using highly efficient technologies. When China and India propose technical cooperation in Africa based on their experience, they speak the same language and are fully able to understand the problems facing African farmers.
