Growing Together

By+Li+Xiaoyu

When it comes to farming， faster and stronger are definitely better. This is the conclusion to which came the group of Burundian agricultural experts during an inspection on a rice seedling field located in Bubanza Province， Burundi. Comparing two kinds of seedlings after an identical 30-day growth cycle， the two kinds of rice seedlings showed totally different results.

On one side， the robust seedling was already showing seven tillers and well-developed roots； on the other side， the seedling did not have any tiller and looked quite weak. This difference owes to a group of agricultural experts from China， at the head of which is Yang Huade， a ricegrowing expert at Weiyuan Countys Agricultural Bureau， in Sichuan Province.

On November 19， 2015， as part of a Chinese aid program， Yang arrived in Burundi as head of the third group of senior agricultural experts. Comprised of six experts in different fields （rice， soil and fertilizer， agricultural， fisheries， veterinary science and livestock） and two French interpreters， the team began its two-year agricultural technical assistance mission.

Huge advantages

Rice is an important crop for Burundi to ensure its food security. However， even in high-yield area， the countrys rice yield is relatively low： only four tons per hectare. How to increase rice yield became a key concern for Burundis Ministry of Agriculture.

After their arrival in Burundi， the first task of the Chinese agricultural experts was to conduct a two-month extensive and in-depth field research. They found that Burundis temperature and light conditions are very favorable for crop growth. However， poor infrastructure， inadequate investment in agriculture， lack of research capacities and poor access to technology seriously hindered crop productivity.

Seedling technology being a major factor to quickly and significantly enhance rice yield， the Chinese expert group decided to focus on the promotion of seedling technology on rice dry seedbed.

According to Yang， dry seedbed seedlings have significant advantages over the Burundian traditional seedling technique. This technology allows cultivating high-quality seedlings with fewer water and fertilizer requirement. Also， the technology uses only 12 to 20 percent of the per-hectare sowing quantity of the traditional technique. It makes possible the promotion of high-yield and high-quality hybrid rice and super rice varieties planting over large areas.

Successful localization

Instead of simply copying Chinas technology， the expert group took local conditions into consideration and sought to improve the current seedling technology.

“Africa has good light and temperature conditions. So we need to make corresponding adjustments related to fertilizing， water management and seeding age，” Yang told ChinAfrica. “For example， in China， seedlings on dry seedbed are planted during early spring at low temperature. The plastic mulch helps increase temperature and conserve water. However， in Africa， with high temperature and strong light， seedless weeds are the best way to decrease temperature and preserve moisture.”

Throughout the seedling raising period， the Chinese experts fully devoted themselves to the project. Through their constant adjustments， in only 30 days， rice seedlings with numerous tillers， well-developed roots and robust stem were cultivated.

Compared with the traditional local technique， the Chinese technology wins hands down and has substantially benefited Burundis seedling technology. Prosper Dodiko， Director of Fertilizer and Soil Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock， compared the two seedlings， and said the introduction of the technology marks a historical turning point for the country. Farmers around the base also hoped to adopt the technology under the guidance of Chinese experts.

This technology innovation is indeed of great significance for Burundi. “Burundi is a typical agricultural country. Agricultural output accounts for 35 percent of its GDP， and more than 90 percent of the labor force is working in the agricultural sector，” said Lu Jun， Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Burundi.“Food security remains one of our priorities. Based on Chinas experience， dry seedling technology could not only increase the rice production by over 20 percent， but also create conditions for the promotion of hybrid rice.”

Sharing experiences

Terence Nobus Butoyi， Director General and President of Imbo Regional Social Development Association （RSDA）， has visited China once. During his trip， he heard that super hybrid rice cultivated by Yuan Longping - known as “the father of Chinese hybrid rice” - was able to yield an output of 15 tons per hectare.

Last August， he attended a session of agricultural technology training held by the expert team in Imbo， and visited their base of rice seedlings. Having seen for himself the impressive results of Chinese seedling technology and the undeniable advantages of hybrid rice and super rice， he became even more determined to learn from China.

“I very much look forward to working with the expert team to promote the dry rice seedling technique and hybrid rice，” Butoyi said. “I hope that the officials and technicians of Imbo Regional Association will be able to teach our farmers about what they have learned here， and organize farmers to visit the base.”

This was the third session of training since the expert team arrived in Burundi. The training was held at RSDA with a total of 189 participants， most of whom were key agricultural technicians and officials of Burundi， who would then teach farmers what they have learned. In order to meet local expectations， the expert team had been working with the staff of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock on the training， which included classroom teaching as well as on-site visits and exchanges.

Dodiko pointed out that with Chinas help， Burundis Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock will focus on developing hybrid rice and promoting advanced cultivation technique in several of the countrys provinces， in order to ensure that rice production is at the heart of Burundis agricultural development strategy in the future. “I appreciate the elaborate training given by Chinese experts， and I believe this is the most successful training in the history of our ministry，” Dodiko said.

Increasing rice output is merely one of the many aspects of China-Burundi agricultural cooperation. China had already sent expert teams to investigate the wetland of the Nyamuswaga River Valley， to offer farming cooperation in Randa Farm in Bubanza， and to improve the Rukaramu reclamation area.

Since the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation （FOCAC） in 2009， China has sent three senior agricultural expert teams to offer assistance in areas of Burundis agricultural macro-development， and demonstration and introduction of key techniques.

According to Lu， cooperation between the two countries is set to pick up pace following the FOCAC Summit in 2015， with the planned opening of a Sino-Burundian agricultural technology demonstration center in 2017.