One of the crucial but overlooked aspects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the food and agricultural cooperation. In this paper, we argue that under BRI, China is building a ‘Food Silk Road’ with which the country attempts to reconstruct global food supply chains through overseas agricultural investment, agricultural technology transfer, massive investment in infrastructure, and accelerated policy coordination. We also discuss the driving factors behind the emerging Food Silk Road, related challenges, and potential implications of China’s quest for food security for global food governance.
By Cecilia Tortajada and Hongzhou Zhang, 2021. Article published in Global Food Security, Volume 29, 100518. DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100518