The recently launched "K-rice belt" initiative will serve as a chance for South Korea to share its advanced farming technologies with Africa, and the "unprecedented" aid model will help ensure Africa's sustainable development and create win-win results, an expert has said.
On Monday, South Korea's agriculture ministry launched the project as part of its official development assistance (ODA) program to provide eight African nations with quality rice varieties and agricultural machines, support infrastructure establishment, and share its farming know-how.
"South Korea has world-class, unique farming technologies, and sharing our know-how is expected to cause drastic changes in the recipient nations primarily in terms of food security," Park Kwang-ho, a professor of Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries, said in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.
In 2020, African nations consumed 301.16 million tons of rice but only produced 210.54 million tons amid the lack of necessary infrastructure and technologies, and poor crop yields.
South Korea developed high-yield rice varieties that suit natural circumstances in Africa and are more palatable to the people there, and will build a seed production complex in the respective nation and related facilities.
"There is ample room for the development of the agriculture sector in Africa if we help build irrigation and other necessary infrastructure. After all, many African regions have quite good environments for farming," Park said.
The participating African nations are Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya and Guinea Bissau, and they are all in the Sub-Saharan region.
The initiative aims to harvest some 2,000 tons of rice in Africa this year and over 10,000 tons per year starting in 2027, a level enough to feed around 30 million people in the underdeveloped nations annually, according to the agriculture ministry.
"This project is different from traditional aid programs, as it seeks to let those in need stand on their own feet, rather than just giving them a one-off donation. This will be an ideal, sustainable ODA model," Park said.
South Korean experts will be dispatched there to be in charge of the overall process of cultivation and post-harvest management, and to teach African people.
"Such soft power diplomacy will enhance ties between South Korean and African nations in broader industry sectors, such as natural resources and supply chains. Based on positive results this time, we can further expand this kind of project to other nations in Africa, Asia and South America," he said.
For the successful implementation of the initiative, the professor called for longer-term perspectives and both top-down and bottom-up approaches.
"Leaders of South Korea and participating African nations should pay attention to the initiative. Education and training programs for African farmers are also required to ensure the sustainability of the project," the professor said.
As rice farming takes hold in Africa, South Korea will be able to transfer smart, digital-based agricultural technologies and new seeding methods to further beef up yields and efficiency, the expert said.
He proposed the introduction of the direct seeding method where farmers sow rice seeds directly into a field, rather than growing seedlings to transplant them into paddy fields.
"The direct seeding method is simple and cost-effective. It has been hailed, and has become increasingly popular in Vietnam, China and other nations," Park said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency