The UK is the first country to sign an agreement with China to address global food needs, which will see the UK facilitating Chinese agricultural expertise to help countries in Africa, backed by £3.4 million.

China feeds one fifth of the world’s population, despite having only seven per cent of its total arable land, thanks to its rapid modernisation and innovation in agricultural techniques. Under the new food security action plan, which will be signed today, the UK will work with China to make this expertise available globally to countries facing food insecurity and famine.

With over one billion people worldwide now estimated to be under-nourished, the action plan will focus on three key approaches:

• establishing trilateral partnerships with selected African countries for research and development work and for knowledge transfer – so that Chinese agricultural experts can address food needs in those countries, as they have at home; 
• exchanges of policies, research and information on agriculture and food security globally; 
• transferring knowledge and understanding on sustainable food agriculture and fisheries issues between the UK and China.

The UK and China are each pledging £1.7 million for this initiative. The agreement was signed by Development Minister Mike Foster and Food and Farming Minister Lord Davies on behalf of the UK Government and Vice Minister for Agriculture Gao Hongbin on behalf of the Chinese Government.

International Development Minister Mike Foster said:

“In just thirty years, China’s agricultural expertise has expanded rapidly. They’ve developed new techniques and demonstrated innovation in feeding a huge population with only a little land available. If we can work together to share this expertise on a wider scale, we can take a significant step towards improving global food security and achieving the goal of halving world hunger by 2015.

“The agreement sets out ways to share and develop agricultural research, improve food quality and food safety and promote agricultural trade. And with 265 million people hungry in sub-Saharan Africa, it will also set out ways in which the UK and China can work with African partners to develop sustainable agriculture and fisheries there. With an estimated population of 9 billion globally by 2050, it’s vital that we look to act now to ensure that no matter where someone is born in the world, they can be fed safely and sustainably.”

Between 1990 and 2005 China lifted 476 million people out of poverty. From an economy that was mostly subsistence, in recent years, China has developed one of the most commercialised rural economies in the world. China now produces 47 percent of the world's apples, 49 percent of the world's vegetables, and 60 percent of the world's pears. China already has national food sufficiency - but it can introduce and help others innovate and improve their food security strategies, and it can facilitate better trade opportunities.

DEFRA minister Lord Davies said:

“The global challenge now is to feed a growing population and protect the natural resources on which food production ultimately depends.

“International co-operation will be vital to achieving this goal and so this agreement is an important step in the right direction.”
Particular aims under the plan include:

• Promoting collaborative research on the major policies/ measures and their implementation with regard to safe and high quality food production in China and the UK;
• Strengthened cooperation and exchange on aquatic and land animal product quality and safety; 
• Co-operation and exchange on rapid alert systems for food safety risks; 
• Cooperation on aquaculture and fisheries management, including research into the effectiveness of fisheries management systems; 
• Promoting sustainable ecosystem management approaches, including monitoring soil and ecological environments; 
• UK-China-Africa trilateral trainings and workshops on sustainable agriculture and fisheries and food security; 
• Training programs toward African countries on effective aquaculture development.

Background:

1. UK Government has committed over £820 million in response to the food crisis since last June. It supports short term food aid and safety nets programmes, as well as medium- and longer-term investment. This includes £400 million to support international agricultural research over the next five years, which among other things aims to help increase agricultural productivity in smallholder farming. 
2. DEFRA is responsible for leading cross-government work on the development of the UK’s food strategy. The consultation on the draft food strategy ‘Food 2030’, has just closed. DFID maintains a portfolio of programmes worth well over £1 billion to address food security and agriculture, and has committed over £900 million since April 2008, including up to £400 million on international agricultural research. 
    

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