At the African Union Summit, which ended its session on Friday, the theme was “Agriculture and Food Security in Africa.” Africa has 60 percent of the world’s land capable of growing crops, and at a time when farmland is disappearing, such a statistic is particularly interesting to a country with a rapidly expanding economy, cash to invest, and a need for more space. At the World Economic Forum on Africa last month, China announced that its direct investment in Africa would be up to $30 billion this year, with a $100 billion target.

Those billions in direct funding (as opposed to the US model of supporting companies who want to get involved in Africa) will be aimed at