Since the 1960s, agricultural subsidies have been a core component of agricultural policies in many Asian and African countries, and are regarded as a key driver for the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems. The transformation of agrifood systems refers to a process that achieves multiple goals such as improved agricultural productivity, guaranteed food security, and enhanced environmental sustainability through means like policy adjustments and technological application. As two regions with large populations, different stages of agricultural development yet similar challenges, China and Africa have attracted significant attention to their practices in agricultural subsidy policies. Then, what are the similarities and differences between the agricultural subsidy policies of these two regions in terms of goal-setting and implementation methods? And what experiences can they provide for the sustainable transformation of the global agrifood system?
Recently, Associate Professor Xiaolong Feng from the College of Economics and Management at China Agricultural University, together with researchers from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has addressed these questions through a comparative analysis of agricultural subsidy policies in China and Africa. The related article has been published in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025624).
This study systematically reviews the development history, design characteristics, and implementation effects of agricultural subsidy policies in China and Africa. The results show that there are commonalities in the core goals of agricultural subsidy policies between China and Africa: both take improving agricultural productivity and ensuring food security as top priorities, and provide incentives to farmers to boost production and alleviate poverty.
However, significant differences exist in the structure and scale of the policies between the two regions. China’s agricultural subsidy policy is more comprehensive and oriented toward sustainable development. Since 2015, China has carried out a major reform of its agricultural subsidy system, merging the original direct grain subsidy, quality seed subsidy, and aggregate input subsidy into the “farmland quality subsidy”, which focuses on supporting farmland protection and moderate-scale operations. At the same time, subsidies for fertilizer manufacturing were abolished to reduce environmental problems caused by the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers. In contrast, Africa’s subsidy policies are more targeted and often focus on specific areas, such as Malawi’s fertilizer subsidy program and Nigeria’s agricultural input subsidy distributed through electronic vouchers, which mainly address the immediate needs of smallholder farming.
Through comparative analysis, the study also finds that although China and Africa have achieved remarkable results in the practice of agricultural subsidies, both regions still face common challenges that vary according to their national conditions. For instance, extreme weather events caused by climate change pose a serious threat to agricultural production; there is significant pressure on agricultural water use—agricultural irrigation accounts for 82% of total water withdrawals in Africa and 61.2% in China, with both regions facing the risk of water shortages; meanwhile, agricultural production in both regions is dominated by smallholders, which restricts the improvement of production efficiency.
In response to these challenges, the study puts forward three key recommendations. First, the direction of agricultural subsidies should be adjusted to promote green and sustainable development. China’s reform of abolishing subsidies for fertilizer manufacturing is regarded as a successful case, which not only ensures food security but also reduces negative environmental impacts. This experience can be used as a reference for Africa to encourage farmers to adopt efficient fertilizers and green farming practices through subsidies. Second, strengthen agricultural policy support and cooperation between China and Africa. Through platforms such as the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, the two sides can share climate-smart agricultural technologies, coordinate policy goals, and enhance the ability of agriculture to cope with climate change. Third, increase investment in agrifood systems. China can expand agricultural investment in Africa, focusing on supporting the construction of infrastructure such as storage and processing facilities to reduce post-harvest food losses in Africa.
This study provides a scientific basis for optimizing agricultural subsidy policies in China and Africa, and also offers a reference for other developing countries to promote the transformation of their agrifood systems. The research team emphasizes that the reform of agricultural subsidy policies must balance food security and environmental sustainability, and only through precise design and international cooperation can the long-term healthy development of agriculture be achieved.
DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2025624