In the soft glow of dawn, Jaffer Isma steps into his field, the recent rainfall glistening on the soil. This is a task he should have completed in late May, but these are not ideal times. Once fertile, the land now thirsts for the abundant rains of yesteryears. With less rainfall each year, the specter of poor harvests looms large. Compounding this challenge, the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees has reduced the land available for cultivating crops. Subsistence farmers like Jaffer, who form the backbone of the country's output, now face a daunting battle.
Food security has been a cornerstone of China's policy agenda for decades, yet the confluence of the trade war with the US, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has heightened Beijing's urgency to achieve self-sufficiency. How can a nation with a population of over 1.4 billion ensure that its citizens are well-fed amidst global uncertainties?