China-Kenya Agricultural Technology Cooperation Benefits People's Livelihood

Moringa, a tropical plant originally used to satisfy hunger, is now made into a tea substitute; active ingredients are extracted from the "wooden sticks" used by local people to brush their teeth to make toothpaste; grape varieties from China survived in Kenya for the first time, providing local The development of the wine industry brings new hope... In the eyes of Robert Giturou, the African director of the China-Africa Joint Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "These are proofs of the deepening R&D cooperation between Africa and China in the field of plant science, which will help reduce disease and poverty on the African continent, and to promote African development".

The China-Africa Joint Research Center is located on the campus of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It is the first comprehensive scientific research and education institution jointly established by China and Africa in 2013. The total area of the project is more than 160,000 square meters, and the construction area is about 4,300 square meters, mainly including the experimental building, training center, herbarium and botanical garden.

The center is an important platform for scientific and technological cooperation and personnel training between China and Kenya and even the entire African continent in the fields of biodiversity protection, ecological environment monitoring, microbes and modern agricultural applications. After the handover in September 2016, the center will be managed by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences will provide technical support.

Africa is one of the regions with the richest biodiversity in the world, with more than 40,000 species of plants alone, while the overlap between African and Chinese plant species is only 7%, and the research carried out by the two sides is highly complementary. According to Wang Qingfeng, director of the China-Africa Joint Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the joint efforts of researchers from both sides, the center has officially discovered 16 new species of African plants, 14 of which were discovered in Kenya and 2 in Madagascar.

"The center has conducted systematic research on nearly 100 species of African plants, and has also cooperated with related companies to carry out product research and development on dozens of plants." Jitulu said that the combination of the technological advantages of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the grasp of the local market by African companies , Let the "obscure" plants bring tangible benefits to the African people.

A few years ago, like most villagers, Kenyan farmer Joyce Ekinya only knew that Moringa seeds could be eaten directly. "It was Chinese experts who helped us develop new uses for Moringa seeds." Chinese experts trained local farmers to plant moringa trees, and helped to make moringa seeds into capsules and essential oils, and moringa leaves into tea. "I never thought that moringa products could be exported to China thousands of miles away." Yijinya said happily that relying on the planting of moringa trees, the whole family's life is getting better and better.

In addition to helping the local area to diversify and develop the value of Moringa trees, Chinese researchers have also introduced dozens of crop varieties from China, such as hybrid rice, sweet sorghum, and kiwifruit, which are suitable for large-scale planting in Africa in consideration of climate, geographical environment and other factors. , established an agricultural demonstration zone, and achieved a stable increase in crop yield and quality.

"At the China International Import Expo, the Kenyan tea with technical support provided by the center and improved quality has been widely recognized by buyers." As the first African student under the guidance of Wang Qingfeng, Jitulu has witnessed the scientific research cooperation between Africa and China for many years fruitful results. "Chinese scientific researchers have traveled thousands of miles to Africa to carry out scientific research side by side with us. We admire their spirit from the bottom of our hearts."

So far, nearly 300 African students have studied in China through the China-Africa Joint Research Center's scholarship program. The center has also trained more than 1,000 managers and professional technicians for 14 African countries. Jitulu lamented: "They are all rare talents in the field of African biodiversity research."

Looking back on the experience of cooperation with Africa over the years, Wang Qingfeng said that through international cooperation, Chinese researchers have also benefited a lot. "The most important thing to do in botany research is to be well-informed. Conducting joint scientific expeditions in Africa will help Chinese researchers broaden their horizons." In his view, the China-Africa Joint Research Center has become an important tool for cultivating African and Chinese researchers. An important platform for young scientists.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the botanical garden, agricultural demonstration area and various professional laboratories of the China-Africa Joint Research Center remained in normal operation. Scientists from Kenya and China maintained close cooperation and published more than 500 research papers." Jitulu said that Kenya and China The first "Flora of Kenya" jointly edited and researched by scientists will be published later, which will play an important role in promoting the conservation and sustainable use of Kenya's biodiversity.