A fr
i
Rice Cen
r
te
ca
ue
e
fr i
q
r
Cent
Emergency initiative to boost rice
Afr caR ce production in Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and
Senegal
du
riz pour l’
A
I
n direct response to the rice-price crisis of late 2007 and
2008, AfricaRice led a USAID-funded project to boost
rice production in four major rice-producing and riceconsuming countries in West Africa. The project ran for
two years (2009 and 2010), exceeding its goals and leaving
in place the means for the gains achieved to be sustained
in the future.
Project snapshot
Title: An emergency initiative to boost rice production in
Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal
Partners:
J Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)
J Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
J International Center for Soil Fertility and
Agricultural Development (IFDC)
J Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI),
Ghana
J Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER), Mali
J National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI),
Nigeria
J Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles
(ISRA), Senegal
J Société nationale pour l’aménagement et
d’exploitation des terres du delta et du Flueve
Sénégal (SAED), Senegal
Duration: 2009–2010 (2 years)
Cost: US$ 5.1 million
$%%& # research and extension system (NARES) partners in each
country, private seed companies and other seed producers.
' $%*% # # +
companies and other seed producers) from breeder and
foundation seed produced by the NARES in 2009.
/ +
Along with 29 improved rice varieties, the project
provided good-quality seed and knowledge on bestbet rice production and processing practices to 56,420
vulnerable farmers, including 11,070 women, in the four
countries, i.e. 41% over target (26–61% over target per
' # varied from 3.2% in Mali to 42.8% in Senegal. The
project produced 5,872 kg of breeder seed and 72,349 kg
&<=>?%@
BCF
by up to 100% in 2010 compared to their own yields in
2008, while average yield advantage for project farmers
was 39% over that of non-project farmers. Over the two
*%?%%% paddy, worth about $22.8 million at 2010 prices. This
production was estimated to be 51,279 t more than in
2008 (over a third more than the targeted 30,000 t).
As a direct result of their appreciation of quality seed, some
344 farmers (including 44 women) opted to become seed
Funding source: United States Agency for International
Development (USAID)
Goals:
J
J
J
J
Increase the use of high-yielding rice varieties and
fertilizers
Increase the use of improved farming methods
Assist at least 10 000 farm families in each country
Increase rice production in the four countries by
at least 30,000 tonnes (7,500 t per country) by the
end of the project.
To achieve its goals, the project promoted the use of
!"#
of urea super granules [USG], cropping calendar); a ureapelleting machine; a USG applicator; a mini combineharvester; and ‘nutrient manager’ tool. ‘Vulnerable’
#
the basis of a well-being analysis.
A farmer from Nemataka Mande village of Tankanto Escale area
of Senegal talks with the members of a monitoring tour
producers. Some of the seed produced by these farmers
was reserved for themselves and the rest sold or bartered
for grains from other farmers not directly involved in the
project. In Ghana, some of the seed was procured by the
project for distribution to other farmers in 2010.
Among the IRM components, the use of USG enabled
#
still achieving higher yields. The ‘nutrient manager’ tool
by 20%. And the mini combine-harvester being tested
and adapted could harvest and thresh 2–3 ha of rice per
day, compared to 16 days/ha for hand harvesting with
threshing as an additional step.
Training formed a major component of the project.
'#+
system and seed fairs, IRM, seed production, and
harvesting and postharvest techniques. The project
provided formal training to 2,960 farmers, including 588
women, in USG placement, plus best-bet rice production
and processing techniques. In addition, a wider audience
of 24,846 farmers was reached — primarily through
farmer-to-farmer video translated into 12 local languages.
Meanwhile, agro-input dealers were trained in business
management.
The following lessons were learned in the course of
C
J Farmers appreciated good-quality seed and
##P
J The seed voucher and seed fair system ensured
that target farmers received the subsidy meant for
them;
J
J
J
J
" +
processing is imperative;
Linkage of farmers to agro-input dealers, credit
sources and markets is vital;
Farmers readily adopted new technologies,
particularly transplanting, row planting and use
P
Earliness, high yield, cooking qualities, taste
@ X Y varieties.
Sustainability of the gains achieved through the project is
#PF
to-farmer exchange of seed and knowledge; farmers’
+
F
bet rice production practices); farmers’ willingness to buy
P+
Z+
Block Farm Scheme in Ghana, Kano Rice Initiative
in Nigeria, and national rice programs in Senegal and
Mali); and the linkages established by the project among
stakeholders in the rice value chain.
F of their seed through exchange or sale to other farmers
not directly involved in the project. Moreover, the rice
varieties introduced by this project are being vigorously
promoted by other donor-assisted projects in each
Z#
#
market (the proceeds were sometimes used to purchase
#C
had linked them, e.g. the School Feeding Program and the
World Food Program in Ghana.
Women farmers from the Northern Region, Ghana, talking about their experience with the Emergency Rice Initiative to a
monitoring team