Cotonou, Benin
November 22, 2007
Source: the
Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
West Africa is one of the poorest
regions of the world. Yet, thanks to a groundbreaking project,
rice farmers in this region are able to make enough profit from
their farms to send their children to school and provide them
with better health care.
The project worth about USD 35 million is funded by the
African Development Bank
(AfDB). It supports the dissemination of the New Rice for Africa
(NERICA®) varieties in seven West African countries – Benin,
Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.
“We are now able to send nearly all our children to school,”
says Oumar Bojang, Secretary of the farmers’ association Yirima
Kafo in Jambur, The Gambia. Yirima Kafo’s membership includes180
women and 20 men farmers, who are growing NERICA with the help
of the AfDB project. Oumar said that the association made a
profit of about USD 4000 in 2006. The association has also been
able to open a bank account.
Some of the progressive farmers who have benefited from the
project reported spectacular successes. Bakary Togola, a Malian
farmer was able to get a profit of USD 124,000 from the sale of
NERICA seed in 2006. Scenting success, Bakary increased his
NERICA area from 4 ha in 2004 to 60 ha in 2006. In 2007, he
extended it further to 80 ha.
Suleyman Mboob from The Gambia reported that he grew NERICA on
25 ha in 2006 and got about USD 26,300 from the sale of seed,
while Alhaji Dembur Jatta, his compatriot, made about USD 1600.
Both of them distributed surplus NERICA seed freely to their
friends and family members.
In Benin – another pilot country for this project – an impact
study carried out by the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) and its
partners covering 24 villages has shown the positive impacts of
NERICA adoption on farmers’ livelihoods. Better harvests with
more yield put extra cash in NERICA farmers’ pockets to support
schooling, medical care and better diet.
The study showed that with the increase in farmers’ income, the
school attendance rate rose by 6% and farming families were able
to spend USD 20 more for school expenses per child and USD 12
more for health care expenses per sick child.
Such impacts, although modest, make a difference in the lives of
the poor who represent about 80% of the targeted beneficiaries
of the AfDB project. The project has developed NERICA-based
products which add value to rice and can provide sustainable
market opportunities for rural women.
The project aims to involve about 33,000 farm families in
participatory approaches to accelerate NERICA dissemination.
Many promising new varieties – including new NERICA varieties –
have been selected by farmers using these participatory
approaches. For example, in Guinea, which has about 83,000 ha
under NERICA, about 940 farming households took active part in
the selection of improved rice varieties in 2006.
By the fifth year of the AfDB project, about 400 000 ha of land
is expected to be under NERICA cultivation in the pilot
countries and the annual rice import bill of these countries is
expected to reduce by about USD 100 million. The project was
launched in 2005 but began its operations only from 2006.
It is coordinated by the African Rice Initiative (ARI), which is
hosted by the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) and supported by
several partners and donors, including AfDB, Rockefeller
Foundation, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
AfDB NERICA Project Highlights
Overcoming seed shortage
Since seed shortage is the biggest bottleneck in the NERICA
dissemination, the project mounted a major effort on the
production and diffusion of quality seed of NERICA.
The African Rice Initiative Regional Coordination Unit produced
nearly 200 t of foundation and breeder seed and has facilitated
the production of over 4000 t of foundation and certified seed
in the project pilot countries between 2005 and 2007.
But it is difficult to keep up with the ever-increasing demand
for NERICA seed. For example, in 2007, in response to Nigeria’s
request, the Regional Coordination Unit provided that country
with 100 t of NERICA foundation seed.
“The African Rice Initiative is exploring with relevant
partners, particularly the national systems, how best to put in
place sustainable NERICA seed production and delivery
strategies,” says Inoussa Akintayo, African Rice Initiative
Regional Coordinator.
Building capacity of extension staff and farmers
Building the capacity of all the actors in the rice sector is
integral to the project. Apart from the Africa Rice Center, JICA
and Sasakawa-Global 2000 are two key partners of the Initiative
in capacity building.
As part of a “training of trainers” strategy, the Project has
trained about 85 technicians in seed production and
participatory approaches and more than 3600 farmers in improved
seed production techniques. The project has also contributed to
the training of more than 20 impact assessment specialists.
Two JICA rice specialists who are working with the Initiative
have been particularly involved in group training programs on
important aspects of rice cultivation – ranging from quality
seed production to agronomic packages.
In addition to these efforts, country-specific capacity building
programs are undertaken by each pilot country. For instance, in
Nigeria, in 2006, about 850 extension agents were trained in
various aspects of rice production and more than 700 farmers in
seed production. The AfDB NERICA project in Nigeria is playing
an important role in Nigeria’s Presidential Rice Initiative, in
which NERICA is a major component.
In Mali, four training modules on rice production, farmers’
organization, cooperative management and seed quality have been
developed by the National Coordination Unit. About 165 NERICA
seed producers were mobilized in Ghana in 2006 thanks to
intensive farmer-training activities.
Capacity building and rice restoration activities are
particularly valuable in post-conflict areas of Sierra Leone,
where rice is a staple food.
Developing complementary technologies
To increase the productivity of the NERICA varieties,
complementary technologies, such as agronomic packages, are
currently evaluated in all pilot countries in collaboration with
Africa Rice Center scientists and other resource persons.
The Regional Coordination Unit is helping to document relevant
information in the NERICA Compendium that is shortly going to be
published jointly with FAO and Sasakawa Africa Association.
Involving the private sector and NGOs
The project operates through partnerships and the NERICA
stakeholders’ platforms established in each pilot country. Dr
Akintayo highlighted the case of Benin, where the AfDB project
has set off a historic process – the successful involvement of
the private sector in NERICA seed production – led by Benin
industrialist Mr Babatundé Olufindji, who was recently honored
by FAO for his active role.
The Regional Bank of Solidarity (BRS) has given over USD 80,000
credit to farmers’ organizations to produce NERICA seed in
Benin. In 2007, another company BSS-SIPRI-Sarl launched an
ambitious NERICA project in Benin in collaboration with the
Satake Corporation. Songhaï (an NGO based in Benin) is using its
own innovative strategy to produce and commercialize NERICA in
Benin and neighboring countries.
Such wide-ranging partnerships have also been developed in other
pilot countries. “The linking up with the private sector is one
of the project’s biggest successes,” Dr Akintayo commented. “But
we still have a long way to go.” |
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