China conducts Phase IV of Juncao Project in Lesotho (Linked to #21745, #55680, #55681)

According to a press release from Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University (FAFU), in November 2017, four FAFU alumni arrived in Lesotho to be the 4th Chinese team conducting the Juncao Technical Demonstration Cooperation Project (援莱索托菌草技术合作项目第四期). The Chinese Embassy hosted a reception on 8 February 2018 to formally welcome the experts and launch phase IV. As of January 2019, the fourth phase was ongoing. China also carried out phase I (#21745), phase II (#55680), and phase III (#55281). The other phases were in two-year intervals, so phase IV likely ended in late 2019 or early 2020. The value of this project is unknown. "Jun" (菌) means fungus and "cao" (草) means grass. Juncao, invented in 1986 by a Chinese scientist, refers to the practice of using herb plants to cultivate edible fungi. Since the project's initial signing in October 2006, Chinese experts from FAFU have been developing the Zhonglai Juncao Technology Demonstration Base in Maseru and training local Basotho the agricultural techniques to grow and the entrepreneurial skills to sell. As of February 2018, 47 Juncao technical training courses were held; 2,294 agricultural officials, local technicians, farmers, teachers and students were trained; and 810 farms were developed. This project has also produced several cooperatives 7 demonstration sites. Lesotho's agricultural industry cannot adequately feed the population yet small-scale farming is common. Instead of heavily relying in food imports, Juncao could be a cheap, nutritious alternative for Basotho to feed their families and communities. It is unclear if the initial inter-governmental exchange of letters from 2006 was for all four phases of this project or if there is a separate agreement signed only for phase IV. AidData only found evidence of another agreement signed in 2012 for phase III (#55681).

Number of official sources

7

Number of total sources

9