Developing countries are gaining new tools to transform their agricultural sectors through China's partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as revealed at a landmark workshop in Rome this week. The collaboration under FAO's 'One Country One Priority Product' (OCOP) program aims to share China's green farming innovations with 15 pilot nations, from Bangladesh to Uzbekistan.
Since its 2021 launch, OCOP has engaged 95 FAO members in building sustainable food value chains for 56 unique products. Xia Jingyuan of the FAO OCOP Secretariat emphasized: 'This South-South cooperation allows us to scale China's proven agricultural technologies globally – from drought-resistant crops to precision farming methods.'
The initiative's impact is already visible in Lesotho, where Chinese-funded potato cultivation projects have boosted both yields and farmer incomes. 'Potatoes are more than a crop here – they're lifelines,' noted a Lesotho agriculture official. 'China's technical expertise helps us optimize this critical resource.'
With food security challenges exacerbated by climate change, the FAO-China partnership represents a strategic alignment of technological transfer and sustainable development goals. Analysts suggest this model could redefine agricultural cooperation across the Global South while supporting the UN's 2030 Agenda.
