Global South delegates study rural development in Yunnan

At a gathering in China's Yunnan province, delegates from the Global South praised Chinese rural development initiatives, highlighting projects ranging from a school nutrition program in Tanzania to innovative village cooperatives.

The discussions took place under the Global South Rural Entrepreneurs Initiative, launched by China Agricultural University and tech company Tencent. From Dec 4 to 9, 49 participants traveled to Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture to learn about the latest intercropping techniques and rural development.

A direct outcome of such exchanges was spotlighted by Abdallah Mahimbo, a livestock officer from Tanzania's Morogoro Region. Speaking in Manluanzhan village on Sunday, he explained how a project is now benefiting his home region. The Small Beans, Big Nutrition project has been teaching local farmers to intercrop maize and soybeans since 2021. This July, that initiative enabled Juhudi Primary School in Morogoro to begin providing its 350 students with a steaming cup of soy milk for breakfast.

Other delegates plan to take home a wider array of lessons. Winnie Robi Donald, an assistant lecturer from Tanzania's Institute of Rural Development Planning, stated she intends to share knowledge on food processing, year-round mushroom cultivation, kidney bean cultivation, and intercropping under rubber trees to help rural entrepreneurs.

A key model examined was the cooperative in Xishuangbanna's Hebian village, which develops local tourism alongside farming. Emmanuel Byaruhanga Abwooli, a brand officer from Uganda's Busoga Consortium for Development, praised the approach.

Sofyan Sjaf, professor of rural development sociology at IPB University in Indonesia, said that China has successfully taken the lead in eradicating absolute poverty and narrowing the gap of inequality, which can serve as a reference for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and even countries around the world.