It emphasizes the core role of agriculture in the economic development of countries and regions jointly building the "Belt and Road" initiative, as well as the shared demand for agricultural cooperation with China. In 2017, four Chinese ministries jointly released the "Vision and Action on Promoting Agricultural Cooperation in the Joint Construction of the Belt and Road," providing a top-level design for agricultural cooperation, clarifying key areas and regions for collaboration, and outlining seven major key projects. The Ministry of Agriculture also promoted agricultural trade facilitation and the establishment of agricultural opening-up cooperation pilot zones. By the end of 2021, China had invested in and established 868 agricultural enterprises in Belt and Road partner countries, with an investment stock of $14 billion, covering 90 countries and accounting for 52% of China's total outward agricultural investment stock. Academics have conducted extensive research on topics such as agricultural cooperation and economic growth, outward direct investment, capacity cooperation, agricultural value chains, and agricultural trade. For example, Yuan Yuan found that the agricultural economic growth effect of the Belt and Road can be driven by agricultural infrastructure construction and financial development; Zhao Jie and Chen Yang explored the entry modes and industrial chain layout patterns of Chinese enterprises investing in Central Asian agriculture; Wen Chunhui et al. proposed establishing an agricultural capacity cooperation service system and a "grouped going global" development model; Qin Guoqing and Zhu Yuchun measured the agricultural value chain linkage effects between China and partner countries; Yin Jun et al. calculated through models that the Belt and Road Initiative has reduced bilateral trade barriers and promoted agricultural trade growth. Although existing studies have analyzed the realities and prospects extensively, there is relatively less vertical analysis of the theoretical implications of cooperation, the reasons for international agricultural cooperation, and the specific temporal and spatial context of agricultural cooperation between China and partner countries.

I. Theoretical Explanation of Cooperation

It delves into the semantics, connotations, and attributes of "cooperation" and traces the historical origins of cooperative thought. Starting with Robert Owen's establishment of the "Cooperative Economic Society" in London in 1821, the concept of cooperation has undergone various interpretations and developments. The Encyclopædia Britannica emphasizes the service and benefit attributes of cooperation, the Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary highlights voluntary association and mutual aid, while the Cihai carries political undertones. The cooperative movement originated from the exploration and practice of social systems by British and French utopian socialists. In Liang Shuming's rural reconstruction theory, cooperative theory holds an important position, emphasizing harmony and creativity in cooperation. Zhao Jing, from a proletarian standpoint, points out the political attributes of cooperatives. The ideas and principles of cooperation exist in different fields across historical stages, such as ecosystems, politics, mythology, military, and energy. German philosopher Friedrich Paulsen emphasized the importance of humans forming societies and engaging in division of labor, internalizing the survival strategy of seeking external cooperation as a moral quality. Zhang Kangzhi divides cooperation into three levels: mutual aid, coordination, and cooperation, arguing that cooperation contains both instrumental rationality and a transcendence of it. Adam Smith's economic theory system in The Wealth of Nations, based on self-interested behavioral motives, is premised on The Theory of Moral Sentiments, with no contradiction between the two. Amartya Sen notes that in finitely repeated prisoner's dilemma games, cooperative behavior is widespread, primarily because people adhere to certain behavioral norms that may conflict with their recognized or ultimate goals.

II. Theoretical Explanation of International Agricultural Cooperation

It explores the theoretical logic of international agricultural cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative from political, economic, and institutional-technological dimensions. The political logic highlights the central role of agriculture in ancient societies and the modern global economy, pointing out that global agricultural challenges require international cooperation to address collectively. The economic logic focuses on the growing global population's demand for food and global hunger issues, emphasizing the importance of institutions and technology in agricultural development. The institutional logic analyzes the causes of unbalanced global agricultural development, including agricultural protection policies in developed countries and unreasonable policies in less-developed countries, proposing the need to strengthen policy coordination and improve institutional systems. The technological logic discusses the role of technology in agricultural development, noting differences in agricultural productivity among countries and exploring the potential impact of international technological cooperation on improving agricultural productivity and promoting industrial development. The section also examines the factor bias of technological change on industrialization and how international cooperation and appropriate domestic socio-economic adjustments can achieve sustainable agricultural development.

III. Theoretical Explanation of China's Participation in Belt and Road International Agricultural Cooperation

It analyzes the theoretical explanations for China's participation in Belt and Road international agricultural cooperation from the dimensions of human-natural geographical logic and practical logic. The human-natural geographical logic section reviews agricultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road, emphasizing the integration of economies, cultures, and emotions across regions and changes in geopolitical and economic landscapes. The practical logic section elaborates on four aspects: motives and objectives, location and fields, mechanisms and models, and risks and challenges. In terms of motives and objectives, it analyzes the diverse motivations of different actors in agricultural cooperation, such as national-level responses to sanctions and food security, and regional- or enterprise-level regional development plans and industrial competitiveness enhancement. The location and fields section explores the factor endowment hypothesis and complementarities in climate, soil, water, and biological resources among countries. The mechanisms and models section introduces macro-level international agricultural cooperation mechanisms, such as bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, and micro-level cooperation models, such as the "full industrial chain control + outsourcing cooperation" model. The risks and challenges section identifies potential risks in agricultural cooperation, such as financing difficulties, policy discontinuity, and technical trade barriers, and emphasizes the reference value of research published by domestic and international institutions and research institutes for corporate decision-making.

IV. Conclusions and Prospects

It examines the theoretical origins and logic of Belt and Road international agricultural cooperation from a longitudinal perspective, emphasizing the universality and significance of cooperative behavior. The article notes that international agricultural cooperation involves politics, economics, institutions, and technology and is crucial for global sustainable development. It proposes strengthening international policy coordination, improving institutional systems, distinguishing the factor bias of technological change, and empowering traditional agricultural development with new productive forces. It also highlights the importance of agricultural cooperation between China and Belt and Road countries, including promoting hierarchical gradient cooperation, consolidating good-neighborly relations, enhancing strategic alignment, and helping less-developed countries improve agricultural development. It concludes that Belt and Road international agricultural cooperation is a vast systematic project involving common agricultural issues and all aspects of international economic cooperation, with many questions requiring further research for refinement and supplementation.