Will Africa Feed China?

A One-Sided View

In an August 2012 article, the African Development Bank’s chief economist called China the world’s most notorious “land grabber,” particularly in Africa. Hundreds of other articles and news stories have delivered a similar message: China pursues an ambitious program of African agricultural investment and extensive farming development. The reported purpose of this activity is to feed China’s 1.3 billion people.

In 1995, environmental activist Lester Brown wrote Who Will Feed China? He claimed China’s growing demand for food would exhaust global export food supplies. Brown’s thesis that China would eventually deplete the global grain markets became influential. It led to a Washington Post article entitled “How China Could Starve the World.” Articles about China’s supposed efforts to turn Africa into China’s national food source focused on one or more of four mistaken ideas:

1. Chinese firms seek vast tracts of African land for farming – Typical news stories say that China is buying up vast tracts in Africa. For example, the Inter Press Service wrote, “China…has extensive holdings in Africa, including pending or attempted...