AFRICAN RICE INITIATIVE (ARI)

• Created to serve as a single focused channel for all New Rice for Africa (NERICA) dissemination efforts in Africa

• ARI is in harmony with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and provides a framework for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

• Initial focus on selected African pilot countries 

• Hosted by the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) 

What's ARI

The African Rice Initiative (ARI), launched in March 2002, aims to scale up the dissemination of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Seeking to fight poverty through the dissemination of NERICA, ARI is in line with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and is an important follow-up to the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). 

Seven pilot countries have been selected for the extensive dissemination of NERICA. Non-pilot countries in WARDA member countries as well as selected Eastern and Southern African countries will also take part in the NERICA dissemination through the Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) activities.

Initially, the ARI is focussing on the upland ecology, for which the original NERICAs were bred. It will also promote complementary technologies to improve soil fertility and alleviate other problems associated with rice production.

The NERICA Consortium for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa is the implementation mechanism for ARI, which will be the vehicle for an extended partnership among rice-development stakeholders, policy-makers and donors in sub-Saharan Africa. 

By 2006, the area under NERICA is expected to be over 200,000 ha with a production close to 750,000 tonness per year. Nearly US$90 million worth of rice imports will be saved.