From Brookings. Story by Amadou Sy.

China, with an already rapidly growing economic interest in Africa, has been accused of an abundance of land grabs on the continent.

But is China really planning on badly exploiting African agriculture? Have these land grabs been as widespread as some critics imply? What might be the detriment to Africa? In her new book, “Will Africa Feed China?” Deborah Brautigam discusses these questions and debunks myths around China’s interest in African land and agricultural resources as well as enters the larger discussion: how do we increase investment in African agriculture?

Africa has not yet achieved its green revolution, the initial jump in a region’s agricultural productivity, and because of current its low cereal yields—the lowest in the world—it is experiencing a food deficit.

In fact, the region spent more than $30 billion to import basic grains in 2011 according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. For every $1 it earns today in agricultural exports (mainly coffee, cotton, and cocoa), the region spends nearly $2 on agricultural imports, mainly food. Africa has a serious problem which some countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, and Nigeria among others are addressing.

Let’s assume for a moment that Africa’s green revolution happens, and that the region can feed itself. Will it then be able to feed China?

The answer is that Africa will then face a second yield gap to be able to export to China: a second jump in agricultural productivity is necessary. Indeed, Chinese diets are moving more towards proteins than cereals as people become wealthier.

As the book notes, it takes a lot of grains to generate protein. It takes two kilos of grain to produce a kilo of chicken and the ratio is four kilos for pork, and up to seven kilos for beef. As a result Africa will need to improve agricultural productivity at an even higher pace if it wants to “feed China.”

In spite of the existing yield gaps, press releases about land grabs, especially Chinese land acquisitions in Africa, have boomed recently, especially since the sharp increase in international food prices in 2007-2008. These land grabs have rung alarm bells, as they raise concerns about corruption, large-scale resettlement of populations, and even a new colonization of Africa.

How many really translate into actual land acquisitions by China and other countries? Brautigam painstakingly combs through press reports on Chinese land grabs in Africa.

As Brautigam warns, in the case of Chinese investment there is typically a wide gap between interest in large-scale investment in African agriculture and actual investment.

Read more at Brookings.