| This thesis focuses on Chinese supported Agriculture Technology Demonstration Centers(ATDCs)in East Africa,specifically Uganda as a novel way for providing agricultural assistance to tackle food insecurity,strengthen South-South Cooperation,reduce global poverty and promote sustainable development.Accordingly,it answers three key research questions;first,what is the impact/influence of Chinese Supported Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers on Uganda's economic development?This is to understand the impact/influence of ATDCs on Uganda's economy,technology transfer and people's livelihoods,as well as the reality on ground,especially with commercial actors and instruments.Second,how are ATDCs shaping China's new agricultural diplomacy in Africa?This is to give a logical elucidation of whether there is an implementation(application)gap or not,and why?Or if China's agricultural assistance approach in Uganda is a reflection of its past aid-assistance or contemporary policy reforms aimed at building a novel image.Third,has China-Uganda agricultural cooperation reflected win-win results?Because of this,it aims to define Chinese win-win cooperation,elucidates its origins,foundations,diplomatic features,as well as an analysis of the China-Uganda agricultural cooperation in the future.In terms of findings,this thesis found out that ATDCs have endeavored to improve Chinese image through agricultural diplomacy,diffused agro-technology to the people(farmers)in Uganda,raised incomes,changed people's livelihoods,and more crucially offered an alternative framework for providing agricultural aid in a way where traditional aid or Western aid delivery encounters sustainability problems.It also found out that despite of their asymmetric economic interdependence,China-Uganda agricultural cooperation is so far a win-win for both countries,and this offers future prospects for a strategic way to better understanding of their novel agricultural cooperation.Conversely,Chinese ATDCs have faced challenges such as not being in sync with the national research systems and government policies,training of elites or top officials instead of indigenous people,lack of a strong balancing act between trade and aid(which are two critical activities),lack of exposure to the Ugandan terrain,unfavorable working environment in terms of infrastructure and service delivery in Uganda.Therefore,this thesis argues and concludes,first,the literature on Chinese assistance in Uganda indicates that although the recipient country(Uganda)has benefited from ATDCs,China's aid program is largely part of fulfilling her national interests and new image of a responsible power in the global affairs.Second,China's agricultural assistance is a multifunctional foreign policy and public diplomacy instrument which is designed and determined by China but then used in the third/foreign or intended country.Third,since China's agricultural assistance to Uganda is the embryonic reflection of smart public diplomacy vis-à-vis other international aid actors,its implementation is largely a function of economic power of China(donor nation).As a result,some media and countries in the West hold that China has acted like a traditional power in the new age,e.g.a new-colonial power exploring its exclusive interests in Africa.Nevertheless,the thesis recommends for further research to be conducted to establish the reality on ground,as well as a vital need to harmoniously work focused on a model for knowing Chinese ATDCs.Considering this,the content of the thesis is structured as follows:Chapter One:IntroductionThis chapter contains the introductory information of the research including the problem statement,research objectives and questions,research significance,intended academic breakthrough,why China's agricultural assistance in Uganda was selected for study,literature review,methodology,theoretical framework and thesis structure.China's assistance in Uganda is premised on the reality that China had successful agriculture modernization and development and considers sharing her experiences with the developing nations as one of the progressive and strategic foreign policy top priorities.As a consequence,China is hugely engaged in Uganda's agriculture as evidenced by setting up(and supporting)of many Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers(ATDCs)among other agricultural related projects/programs and infrastructure.Although China started its agricultural assistance to Uganda as early as the heydays of the Cold War,it officiated the establishment of the initial ten ATDCs in Africa in 2006during the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC).Ever since,many ATDCs have been established in Africa,and more are still being built.ATDCs are supported to achieve four major objectives;Promote bilateral agreements and China's foreign strategy in recipient countries;to facilitate innovative agricultural practices and modern technology to enhance food security.This requires the ATDCs to act as platform for Chinese companies to invest in Africa,explore new markets in line with China's‘Agriculture Going Out'policy;and to make them a base for agro-technology experiment and research,demonstration and extension,human resources training,and display.As discussed above,China's agricultural assistance,(specifically with ATDCs)was chosen because of its crucial role in Uganda's social-economic development of people's well-being and economic growth.It institutes the backbone of Uganda's economy since agriculture remains the largest provider to their gross domestic product and the major source of hard currency earnings and tax revenues.All these arguments revolve around the three key research questions as discussed above:what is the implication of Chinese Supported(ATDCs)on Uganda's economic development?How are ATDCs shaping China's new agricultural diplomacy in Africa?Has China-Uganda agricultural cooperation reflected win-win results?Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers(ATDCs)have elevated theawareness of both Chinese and Ugandan media and have been the center of diverse research reports.Generally,the media has described that Chinese supported ATDCs in Uganda have developed agrarian production.For example,under the Chinese SSC,since 2012 more than3,500 farmers and extension workers have been trained by the ATDCs and more than 15,000farmers have successfully enhanced the elevation and diffusion of innovative and applicable technology in Uganda.This has signified the initial trial to assess the ATDCs through the yardstick like applicability,efficiency,productivity,outcomes,sustainability,and partnership-cooperation which are regularly embraced by global development agencies.The ATDCs have been introduced as an innovative procedure that connects public and private allies and which has the capacity to reformulate traditional models and practices of global development aid.The originality of this initial trial of conjunction towards global assessment criteria for Chinese assistance venture should not be undervalued.This thesis makes use of systematic qualitative reviews and approaches to guide the research methodology.China's agricultural assistance is chosen because of its crucial role in Uganda's socio-economic development in terms of people's well-being and economic growth.It is the backbone of Uganda's economy because agriculture remains the largest provider to their gross domestic product and the major source of hard currency earnings and tax revenues.The conceptual framework that was adopted for this thesis involved analysis of China's agricultural assistance/aid.The theories that have been adopted for this thesis are twofold;a Political Theory of Foreign Aid by Hans Morgenthau,and a Model of the Supply of Bilateral Foreign Aid by both Leonard Dudley and Claude Montmarquette.Chapter Two:China's Cultural Characteristics of InternationalismChina's external assistance is relatively motivated by the cultural values,which among others aim at addressing the dilemma of shaping a fair global order.Confucian cultural ideals of morality elucidate the most striking nitty-gritties in China's making of foreign strategy.It embraces values and ideas of‘human relationships,social structures,virtuous behavior,and work ethic,'that are portrayed in China's foreign assistance.The key cultural characteristic in the framework of foreign assistance at present is that the highest purpose of government is to attain a common world of peace and harmony by decent governance.The relationship between China as a donor and the beneficiary nation is referred to as a friend-to-friend relationship.Therefore,China's external assistance in agriculture is an act of friendship with the principal aim of attaining universal harmony.China has provided agricultural development assistance since 1960 to over 40 African countries.This includes;signing agreements on agricultural and fishery cooperation,seconding agricultural experts,establishing agro-technology pilot/demonstration farms with a special interest in large-scale competitive large agricultural enterprises with the zeal to improve Africa's livelihood and economic development.The first ten ATDCs in Africa were launched in 2006 during the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation.Since then,the Chinese government has built different ATDCs in twenty-three independent African nations.The building of the aforesaid ATDCs is done in three phases.Phase one involves 1-2 years of infrastructure development;phase two,3 years of technical support;the last phase focuses on transforming the ATDCs into a viable financial standing,whereby related costs are met by the stakeholders of the Center.The Chinese Government integrates its public and private owned firms in the administration of ATDCs.To be eligible in the operation and administration of the ATDC,the firms must be national or regional-level top agro-company in China and must be economically,administratively and technically strong.Much as Chinese firm actors(implementing agents)are vital in the day-to-day operations of ATDCs,they work in cooperation with many government agencies(in China and the recipient countries).On the other hand,China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Agriculture primarily take part in the macro planning,overseeing and facilitating the ATDC program.China's current agricultural policy to Uganda and East Africa in general can be elucidated by its Going International Strategy.This Going Global Strategy was expressed in China's 10thfive-year plan in 2001,as a policy to open-up the Chinese market and participate in the global market.The going-international strategy was,and is still built on four key considerations;market seeking,asset seeking,political gains and resource seeking.In Uganda,seven ATDCs have been set up in different regions;Central region for agribusiness,agricultural industrial park for integrated ecological agriculture farm,South-West for horticulture,Western region for livestock,Eastern region for aquaculture,rice-fish culture,hybrid paddy rice,foxtail millet and agricultural machinery.ATDCs in Uganda have resulted into the rise of small scale factories manufacturing mini consumer commodities grown on correlated agrarian schemes.ATDCs have been impactful in that they have improved communal fiscal and civil collaboration among China and Uganda.For instance,the Wakawaka landing site situated in Namayingo District Eastern part of the country was constructed as measure of Chinese Progress Aid to Uganda.This venture was valued at US$1.1million.ATDCs have significantly increased the Gross Domestic Product(GDP)of the country due to the fact that fish is among the precious commodities that yield to fiscal development in Uganda.Chapter Three:The Impact of ATDCs on Uganda:An Assessment of Gains and ChallengesAt a diplomatic level,ATDCs are viewed and implemented as innovative approaches to build China-Uganda agricultural assistance aiming at agricultural development in Uganda via China's technology and equipment.The Chinese government believes that the ATDC approach can reshape the traditional assistance into technology transfer and image building.ATDCs in Uganda have resulted into the rise of small scale factories manufacturing mini consumer commodities grown on correlated agrarian schemes such as Kibimba/Tilda and Doho rice schemes.ATDCs have also significantly increased the Gross Domestic Product(GDP)of the country due to the fact that fish is among the precious commodities that yield to fiscal development in Uganda.Additionally,ATDCs have improved communal fiscal and civil collaboration among China and Uganda.Much as ATDCs have been anticipated towards improving agriculture production,there are some downsides;for instance,though agriculturalists are able to produce higher yields after trainings,they have still found it challenging to get access to the market so as to rise the profits they want to buy Chinese-made agro-technology.The country's inadequate capacity to fund small-scale agriculturalists with grants and promising policies,like easing the license of getting new seed varieties.The lack of lucidity surrounding the roles of shareholders also meant that the partaking of locals is restricted,which makes it hard for the Chinese agro-company to truthfully handover the ATDC to the country.Chapter Four:Turning ATDCs into a Diplomatic Tool:An Image-Building of China in Uganda and BeyondChina's agricultural diplomacy is reflected in both monetary,training and in-kind types to funding food production,breeding,transport and storage,technical assistance and infrastructure development.Chinese banks are crucial in providing financing services in agricultural projects.Chinese agricultural diplomacy has been able to take-off in East Africa,particularly in Uganda due to the able and visionary leadership of the Chinese and Ugandan leaders.The successes of ATDCs have increased self-confidence and focused attention of Ugandans and the whole of East Africans on the ethical integrity and self-less attitude of the Chinese people.Progress of ATDCs has convinced Ugandans and East Africans in general about the real image of China in relation to what the West has always portrayed in the media and in their dominated asymmetrical academic circles.With this,East Africans know that the West pretend to be who they are not and don't live up to their stated promises.As China's agricultural diplomacy takes off,it has constituted a multi-institutional diplomatic system,comprising of interrelated ministries and government departments,research firms,enterprises,agricultural diplomats and agronomists.However,over the years of practice and experience,China has initiated a versatile advanced mechanism and developed different diplomatic players for its agricultural diplomacy.Though,there are still challenges ahead to be rectified to improve her diplomacy.Chapter Five:China-Uganda Win-Win Agricultural CooperationThis chapter aims at answering the research question number three,which is-Has China-Uganda agricultural cooperation reflected win-win results?In this,it defines Chinese win-win cooperation,elucidates its origins,foundations,diplomatic features,as well as an analysis of the China-Uganda win-win agricultural cooperation.This chapter argues that despite of their asymmetric economic interdependence,China-Uganda agricultural cooperation is so far a win-win for both countries,and this offers future prospects for a strategic way to better understanding of their novel agricultural cooperation vis-à-vis Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers(ATDCs).Chapter Six:ConclusionsThe academic argument of this thesis is fourfold.First,the literature on Chinese assistance in East Africa,specifically in Uganda indicates that although the recipient country(Uganda)has benefited from ATDCs,China's aid giving is largely part of fulfilling her national interests and global responsibility.Second,China's agricultural aid/assistance is a multifunctional foreign policy and public diplomacy instrument designed and determined by China but executed in the third/foreign or intended country.Third,since China's agricultural assistance with Uganda is the embryonic reflection of smart public diplomacy vis-à-vis other international aid actors,its implementation is largely a function of economic power of China(donor nation).Fourth,despite of their asymmetric economic interdependence,China-Uganda agricultural cooperation is so far a win-win for both countries,and this offers future prospects for a strategic way to better understanding of their novel agricultural cooperation vis-à-vis Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers(ATDCs).China's agricultural assistance,particularly with the establishment of Agriculture Technology Demonstration Centers is not good for Ugandan agriculture only,but furthermore important for the entire East Africa via support for the region's capability to tackle international food security,and more,that their distinctive strategy to aid will result into a‘new revival of developing countries'globally.This is because Western Development Actors are certainly out of connection with the actualities on the ground.This presents South-South technology transfer revolution.This thesis recommends that Chinese ATDCs should be designed in line with the context of Uganda's research systems and government policies in order to get equity among farmers and this will motivate small-scale farmers to adapt to the technology as an influence from the large scale farmers among others. |
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