In April 2025, a high-level Ethiopian delegation embarked on a learning visit to China, supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) China Office. The team, composed of senior officials from the Agricultural Transformation Institute, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Planning and Development, and the Prime Minister’s Office, came with a clear mission: to understand China’s journey of rural transformation and generate key takeaways for Ethiopia’s own development path.
This initiative took place at a critical moment for Ethiopia. The government is preparing a comprehensive rural transformation strategy, aimed at diversifying livelihoods, modernizing agriculture, and expanding opportunities for rural communities. China, having successfully lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty through integrated policies and reforms, was identified as an invaluable source of insights.
China’s Rural Transformation as a Learning Model
The visit opened with a workshop in Beijing that set the stage for the week. Chinese experts traced the country’s rural transformation across distinct phases: from land redistribution and early irrigation schemes in the 1950s, to the household responsibility system and market liberalization of the 1980s, to the more recent Rural Revitalization Strategy that focuses on closing rural–urban gaps.
For the Ethiopian delegation, this historical perspective underscored a crucial point: transformation is not a single reform, but a long-term process of institutional adaptation. China’s success lay not only in agricultural productivity gains but also in its ability to continuously recalibrate policies to meet emerging challenges—whether food security in the 1970s, rural industrialization in the 1990s, or demographic imbalances today.
Workshop participants posing for a group photo in WFP China Office
Agricultural Modernization and Mechanization
One of the most striking observations was the scale of China’s agricultural modernization. Delegates visited both large enterprises and family farms that illustrated how mechanization has transformed rural productivity. In Danyang, they observed farms deploying tractors, harvesters, drones, and even autonomous machinery, with government subsidies reducing the barrier to adoption.
Tractor assembly line (left) and different powered tractors (right) in the assembly plant of Jiangsu World Agricultural Machinery Assembly Plant
Such technology has reduced labor demands dramatically. While only a quarter of China’s workforce remains in agriculture, output continues to rise. Importantly, farms not only serve their own production needs but also provide mechanization services to neighboring smallholders, turning equipment ownership into an entrepreneurial venture.
Visiting team and family farm representatives posing for a photo in front of autonomous agricultural machineries
For Ethiopia, where fragmented plots and limited capital constrain mechanization, the Chinese example showed how policy incentives, cooperatives, and service-based models can overcome structural challenges. The delegation also noted China’s effective integration of machinery manufacturing with local assembly and export industries, an area where Ethiopia sees scope for partnerships.
Integrated Value Chains and Agro-industrial Development
Beyond production, the delegation was introduced to fully integrated agricultural value chains. Enterprises like Universe Agriculture demonstrated how millet is developed from seed breeding through cultivation, processing, and even livestock feed. This closed-loop system maximizes efficiency and creates multiple revenue streams.
Meeting participants posing for a group photo outside the office of Universe Agriculture
Similarly, large processing companies in Jiangsu illustrated the importance of post-harvest infrastructure. Grain milling, cold storage, meat processing, and food manufacturing plants not only add value but also ensure quality standards and market competitiveness. Ethiopia’s agro-industrial parks can draw inspiration from these models, where proximity to raw materials, reliable infrastructure, and linkages with smallholders underpin success.
Rural Industrialization and Economic Diversification
The delegation also witnessed how rural economies in China no longer depend solely on farming. Villages such as Huanglianshan have reinvented themselves as tourism hubs, drawing urban visitors with ecological parks, trails, and cultural experiences. Others, like Changchun Village, benefited from private entrepreneurs investing in housing, care facilities, and local industries.
Visiting team, leading farmer and local officials posing for a photo at the gate of Changchun Village
This diversification serves two purposes: it absorbs rural labor that is no longer needed in agriculture, and it creates new sources of income that stabilize communities. For Ethiopia, where outmigration from rural areas is high and opportunities are limited, these models highlighted how agriculture-linked services, tourism, and rural industries can complement farming and retain population in the countryside.
Digital Innovation and the Role of the Private Sector
Perhaps the most forward-looking component of the visit was the role of digital technology in rural revitalization. At Alibaba’s Digital Talent Hub, the delegation saw how young people in rural areas are trained in artificial intelligence, customer service, and e-commerce. The model not only equips youth with modern skills but also creates jobs locally, reducing the pressure to migrate to cities.
The commissioner briefing the delegation on Alibaba’s work (left) and showing around working stations (right)
At Hema Smart Villages in Zhejiang, digital platforms were directly linked with greenhouse farming. Contract farmers, supported by Alibaba’s technology and market guarantees, produced high-quality vegetables under controlled conditions, while also operating tourism facilities. This integration of technology, market access, and community development represents a new frontier of rural transformation—one that Ethiopia could explore as digital penetration expands.
Inside the greenhouse of Hema’s smart village (left) and a weather station displaying parameters just outside of it (right)
Governance and Institutional Arrangements
Throughout the journey, the Ethiopian delegation was struck by the seamless coordination between different levels of Chinese government—central, provincial, county, township, and village. Policies on land transfer, subsidies, and rural infrastructure were not only well-designed but also consistently implemented.
Equally important was the adaptability of China’s land system. Secure tenure and formalized rental arrangements allowed small plots to be consolidated into larger farms, enabling economies of scale. Cooperatives, often numbering hundreds of members, were incentivized to form and supported with subsidies, making them powerful vehicles for technology adoption and market access.
For Ethiopia, where fragmented holdings and weak cooperative structures pose major constraints, these lessons were particularly relevant. Delegates noted that transformation requires not only technology and investment but also strong and flexible institutions that can mediate between government priorities and local realities.
Rice paddy terrace flooded with water
The Ethiopian delegation’s visit to China was not simply about observing impressive farms, factories, or digital hubs. It was about understanding how rural transformation can be orchestrated: through policy vision, institutional coordination, strategic investment, and community participation.
Ethiopia’s rural transformation strategy will unfold under very different conditions, but the Chinese experience offers a repertoire of approaches—some ready for direct adaptation, others serving as inspiration for new solutions.
What the delegation brought back is more than a set of observations. It is a conviction that Ethiopia’s rural areas, long seen as vulnerable and underdeveloped, can become engines of innovation, prosperity, and resilience. With the right policies, partnerships, and perseverance, rural Ethiopia can chart its own journey of transformation—learning from China but writing a story that is distinctly Ethiopian.
