A land of rich pickings

"I'm very happy Si gave me a job. If I wasn't happy I would just leave."

About 40 km down the road from Si, a Chinese company, Long Ping High-Tech Agriculture, is also making a go of the farming opportunities Zambia offers. Si has a stake in the operation.

Luo Xueyi, a senior agronomist for the Hunan-based rice giant, says its 342-hectare wheat and soybean farm in Zambia is turning a profit and making a positive impact locally.

At the same time he acknowledges that armed bandits have threatened employees.

"We have the same sort of (security) problems, but not as bad (as Si) because we're further away from the city."

He tries to stay focused on the positives, he says.

Taking into account Long Ping's operations in Ethiopia, Liberia Nigeria and Zambia, it employs about 24 Chinese and several hundred locals across Africa.

The company also runs an agricultural education program in each of these countries, providing lessons and demonstrations of modern farming techniques at several universities and local schools.

"The students we train can go on to get a job on a modern farm," Luo says.