Tenants preparing food on the outskirts of Conakry on September 25, 2025 (Photo/Agency)
According to projections by the African Development Bank Group, Africa’s population is expected to reach approximately 2.4 billion by 2050, compared to an estimated 1.5 billion in 2025.
This growth means that Africa will account for approximately 25 percent of the world’s population by 2050.
The continent is also the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population, with approximately 62 percent of the population expected to be between 15 and 64 years old by 2050. Additionally, the population is expected to reach approximately 4 billion by 2100.
With this rapid population growth and increasing urbanization, a difficult question remains for many African leaders, as well as policy makers, development partners, and other stakeholders: who will feed Africa’s burgeoning population and ensure sustainable food security on the continent?
Reflecting on this pressing issue, American environmental analyst and Worldwatch Institute founder Lester R. Brown’s 1995 book Who Will Feed China? ” is remembered. Awakening to a small planet has sparked a global debate on food security. Brown argued that China’s ability to sustain population growth will be severely tested as water shortages worsen in a country where nearly 80% of grain production is irrigated and agricultural land continues to shrink due to industrialization and urban expansion.
Brown warned that as the global economy continues to integrate, food insecurity in China could have global consequences, including rising food prices and land and water shortages. Furthermore, environmental issues will no longer be confined to national borders.
However, most of Brown’s claims have since been debunked. Through strategic governance and policy innovation, China has significantly strengthened food security, made its vast population nearly self-sufficient, and lifted more than 850 million people out of extreme poverty. This is the greatest poverty reduction achievement in human history. This success, driven by comprehensive reforms focused on farmland protection, innovative and technological advances in agriculture, and effective management of food supply chains, provides valuable lessons for countries in the Global South, including Africa, as they face their own food security challenges in the 21st century.
Currently, China continues to be a driving force in promoting agricultural cooperation to strengthen Africa’s food security. Over the past decades, China has helped African countries improve their food security through direct assistance, such as grain supplies, and other forms of assistance, such as the transfer of agricultural technology and expertise. During the 2024 China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit, China launched the Food Production Enhancement Action under the Global Development Initiative and the third phase of the China-FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund to help African countries achieve agricultural modernization and food security.
Additionally, China has been at the forefront of helping African countries adopt the latest agricultural technology and equipment to increase crop productivity. This includes applying synthetic biology, biological breeding, gene editing, and artificial intelligence techniques to create new high-yielding seeds for major crops.
For example, in Zambia, China launched the second phase of a capacity-building program in July to advance efforts to improve Africa’s food security and agricultural efficiency. The launch took place at Chibombo and Sinazonwe farms and was implemented by the State Administration for Market Regulation of China as part of the China-Africa Program on Quality Improvement.
The focus of the program is to improve standardized farming techniques for essential crops such as wheat, maize, chilli and marigolds. The program will also provide training to more than 500 local agricultural managers and technicians through workshops, hands-on demonstrations, and competitive knowledge assessments.
In Angola, China’s Sinohydro Group announced more than $100 million in investments in the agricultural sector. The China-Angola partnership aims to accelerate the development of logistics and agricultural infrastructure in Angola, in line with the Angolan government’s strategy to revive industrial-scale agriculture and reduce dependence on food imports.
Sinohydro also plans to build a seed research and testing center to improve crop yields and attract more Chinese agribusiness investment. Additionally, a subsidiary of China International Trust and Investment Corporation has committed to investing $250 million to establish large-scale soybean and corn farms in Angola. The investment will develop 100,000 hectares of agricultural land in Angola, making it one of China’s largest agricultural investments in the country. The project focuses on large-scale soybean and maize cultivation, and clearing has already begun on 3,000 hectares in Cuansa Norte province and 5,000 hectares in Marange town.
These projects across the continent demonstrate China’s commitment to strengthening Africa’s food security and production capacity. Additionally, it promotes the use of innovative research and development strategies to create jobs, improve rural infrastructure, and further increase agricultural productivity. Indeed, Africa is on the right track to work with China to feed its growing population.
The author is executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, a Nairobi-based think tank.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
