This year, World Food Day celebrations on October 16 underlined something more in Africa - an appreciation of Chinese investments in agriculture, crucial for the continent's stable development and poverty reduction.

Agriculture being a pillar of the economy and a development priority in most African countries, the Chinese Government attaches great importance to mutually beneficial agricultural cooperation. It has helped many African countries sustainably develop their agricultural capacities.

On July 10, the Chinese Government released a new white paper on its foreign aid, three years after the first one was published in April 2011. The new document provides details on current Chinese foreign assistance, describing the medical, agricultural, infrastructure and capacity-building projects China has assisted in developing countries, especially in Africa.

The paper notes that Sino-African trade in agricultural products has grown rapidly. China's agricultural exports to Africa increased 57.6 percent - from $1.58 billion in 2009 to $2.49 billion in 2012. In the same period, China's agricultural imports from Africa jumped from $1.16 billion to $2.86 billion, a whopping 146-percent increase. Most imported agricultural products are non-food items, such as cotton, hemp, silk and oilseeds.

The Chinese Government has enhanced Africa's self-reliance by assisting in building agricultural technology demonstration centers and sending experts and technicians to provide locals with managerial and practical production experience. Fifteen such centers are already operational - in Benin, Chad, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ten more are in the pipeline. The unconditional aid is based on strong mutual benefit. At these centers, China demonstrates that agricultural development is crucial to poverty reduction in developing countries.

 Beijing also supports the newly launched Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture, an initiative aiming to enable 500 million farmers worldwide, especially those in Africa, to practice climate-smart agriculture. Besides, China is inculcating and encouraging climate-smart agricultural practices like agro-forestry and sending several hundred technicians to Africa to provide policy consultation.

Premier Li Keqiang's speech at the African Union Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May underscored the importance of agricultural cooperation. Li said accelerated agricultural growth is essential if Africans are to prosper. "Agriculture is crucial for stable development and poverty reduction in Africa. China and Africa see favorable conditions and broad prospects for future agricultural cooperation to help African countries sustainably develop their agricultural capacities," the premier said.

The results of Chinese support to African agriculture are reflected in the Food and Agriculture Organization's May report. The UN organization notes Malawi has already met its millennium development goal hunger target - to halve by 2015 the number of people going without food - thanks to the strong and persistent commitment to boost maize production through Chinese aid.

In Zimbabwe, the agro-technology center China built at the Gwebi Agricultural College outside capital city Harare in October 2009 has trained several middle- and small-scale farmers and specialists. In a country that faces such a huge gap in its staple food requirements, the center is essential to ensure that local farmers master advanced agricultural production technology and management methods to enhance yields.

"The demonstration center uses low-cost irrigation systems suitable for small-scale farmers in the wake of challenges brought about by climate change," noted Zimbabwean Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made. "It also teaches farmers basic crop management like watering, weeding and application of chemicals."

In Rwanda, Chinese experts have improved local farmland, water conservation and other conditions for agricultural production. The Rwandese farmland improvement project supported by Chinese experts effectively controls major rivers and improves utilization of water resources.

In 2005, the Chinese Government adopted a zero-tariff policy for some African products, which has prompted their rapid growth. The sesame is an example of the impact of this policy after China started importing it large-scale from Africa in 2002.

According to Dr. James Nyoro, Senior Food Security and Climate Change Adviser to the Kenyan Government, enhancing farmers' access to quality seed contributes to food security and economic development. China's advanced agricultural cooperation with Africa ensures that it is mutually beneficial and advances common development, he added.

(Reporting from Kenya)