By Habibou Dia, Director of Communication · Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Republic of Senegal.
Food security is a fundamental issue related to the right to survival and the right to development of developing countries, and it is particularly urgent for Senegal. As an important agricultural country in West Africa, Senegal has fertile valleys and a long agricultural tradition, but it still depends on imports of large quantities of broken rice to meet its national needs. How to feed a growing population on limited land? How to move from food dependence to food autonomy? These are the essential questions of the Vision Senegal 2050.
China’s practice offers a useful reference. With less than 8% of the world’s arable land, China has managed to feed nearly 20% of the human population. There is no shortcut or magic behind this “Chinese miracle,” but a well-thought-out agricultural development strategy developed through long exploration, namely: innovation in land tenure to stimulate farmers’ enthusiasm, progress in agricultural science and technology to increase land productivity, and synergy between industrialization and agricultural modernization to achieve structural transformation. All of this is of crucial importance to Senegal, which is currently seeking its way towards food sovereignty.
Institutional innovation is the foundation Of food security
The starting point of Chinese agricultural reform was the Household Responsibility System (HRS) launched in 1978. This system, while maintaining collective land ownership, granted farmers long-term stable land use rights, greatly stimulating their enthusiasm for production. Within a few years, China essentially solved the subsistence problem of its population. The beauty of this institutional design lies in the fact that it avoids the risk of farmers’ dispossession inherent in land privatization while creating the conditions for agricultural modernization through stable contractual relationships.
This practice is very enlightening for Senegal. Currently, in rural areas of Senegal, customary law still plays an effective role in land tenure, and there are frictions between the principle of national ownership established by the 1964 land law and popular practices. Drawing inspiration from the Chinese experience to formalize and legalize traditional usage rights would both protect the fundamental rights and interests of small farmers and open the way for them to access credit and integrate into modern value chains. As French researcher Rémy Herrera commented: “Collective land ownership in rural areas should be seen as the most precious legacy of the revolution that began in 1949.” This institutional wisdom deserves to be seriously studied by African countries exploring a “Third Way.”
Technological progress is the key to increasing Production and income
Another important lesson from Chinese agriculture is its commitment to developing science and technology to revitalize agriculture. Faced with limited land resources, China has continuously increased its grain production through technological advancements. Among these technologies, two have already shown promising prospects in Senegal.
The first is the Juncao technology. This innovative Chinese technology uses grass instead of wood, allowing for efficient production of edible mushrooms and providing high-quality forage for livestock, maximizing biomass and protein production. In the Senegal River Valley region, Juncao technology helps small farmers achieve higher yields on limited land.
The second is hybrid rice technology. This high-yield technique, specially designed for limited arable land, holds strategic importance in ensuring national food security. Several Chinese experts have worked in Senegalese fields to pass on these practical techniques to local farmers. The practice has proven that intensifying the cultivation of small plots of land can perfectly support a country’s food security goal.
Elevating cooperation is the guarantee Of autonomous development
Sino-Senegalese agricultural cooperation is moving from technical assistance and agricultural product trade to a higher level of co-industrialization. This elevation is in line with the commitment made by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2024 to support Africa’s industrialization and meets the fundamental interests of both parties.
First, the development of local processing capacity. China’s “zero tariff” policy for least developed countries offers a green channel for Senegalese agricultural products to access the Chinese market. However, exporting raw materials alone generates low added value and limited income. Therefore, both parties are striving to achieve a common goal: a local processing rate of at least 35% for key agricultural products such as peanuts, sesame, and cashew nuts. This objective will both increase value added for Senegal and reduce logistical costs.
Second, the localization of agricultural mechanization. The level of agricultural mechanization in Senegal is relatively low, with only about 11% of agricultural households owning motorized equipment. Therefore, the focus of cooperation shifts from simple equipment donations to establishing agricultural equipment assembly plants in Senegal, relying on Agricultural Equipment User Cooperatives (CUMA) to facilitate on-the-ground technology transfer. At the same time, mechanization and automation also help address the issue of labor shortages caused by the exodus of youth from rural areas.
Third, the localization of quality certification. To meet China’s strict sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, both parties are working on establishing a certification center in Dakar, allowing Senegalese engineers to become gatekeepers of export quality. This measure will reduce dependence on costly external inspection services and strengthen Senegal’s quality autonomy.
Win-win cooperation is the way forward to move forward together
Food sovereignty does not mean self-sufficiency, but rather strengthening autonomous development capacities within an open cooperation framework. China still adheres to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith in its policy towards Africa, without imposing political conditions, without interfering in internal affairs, and without forcibly imposing its models. The deepening of Sino-Senegalese agricultural cooperation is a vivid illustration of building a community of shared future for humanity.
From institutions to technology, from trade to investment, from capacity-building assistance, the two countries are exploring a path of pragmatic and sustainable cooperation in the agricultural sector. This path is two-way. It contributes to the food sovereignty described in Vision Senegal 2050, embodies the spirit of mutual benefit and shared development advocated by FOCAC, and represents the firm direction in which developing countries are jointly engaging to address the global challenge of food security.
