Contextualizing China–Africa Collaboration on Food Security: Biographical Narrative

Abstract China–Africa formal contact began  over half a century ago. Understanding the compound factors in this interaction and contextualizing them with food security is an interesting subject that has preoccupied both academia and practitioners. Conceptually, this Chapter employs a biographical narrative perspective to  contextualize China–Africa collaboration on food security. In Africa, food security is an agenda item linked to foreign direct investment, cooperation, donation, and foreign assistance. China’s advancements in agricultural science, technology, and innovation make a competitive partner for Africa. In the context of the global economic divide between the Global North and the Global South, the study argues that  Africans’ self-image and continuity - i.e., their  biographical narrative - is imperative in achieving a sustainable China–Africa collaboration. Beyond physical geography, poverty dimensions, race, and/or  ethnicity , African nations have multiple realities. Reimagining China’s presence in Africa within the framework of the member states’ inimitable and multiple biographical narrative can undercut the complexity of China–Africa food security collaboration.