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1. What is the Africa Rice Center (WARDA)?

2. For whom does it work?

3. What is its mission?

4. Why an international Center for rice in Africa?

5. Where does it work?

6. What is its mode of operation?

7. What is its research agenda?

8. What are its research priorities?

9. How do partners have access to its technologies?

10. How is it funded?

Rice Crisis

1. What is actually responsible for the increasing price of rice?

2. Where can the NERICA come in to alleviate the problem?

3. As an institute, what is your opinion on bringing down the price of rice?

4. There was news some months back on genetically modified rice. Does the current increase in price of rice have anything to do with this type of rice found in countries like Nigeria and Ghana?

1. What is the Africa Rice Center (WARDA)?

The Africa Rice Center (WARDA) is a leading pan-African research organization working to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa through research, development and partnership activities. It is one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It is also an autonomous intergovernmental research association of African member countries.

The Center was created in 1971 by 11 African countries. Today its membership comprises 22 countries, covering West, Central, East and North African regions, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Uganda.

The African ownership and international support through the CGIAR make the Africa Rice Center unique among the international agricultural research centers.

2. For whom does it work?

For the benefit of African farmers, mostly small-scale producers, as well as the millions of Africans for whom rice means food.

3. What is its mission?

The mission of the Africa Rice Center is to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through research, development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment.

4. Why an international Center for rice in Africa?

Millions of Africans are affected by the food crisis and especially by the increased prices and shortage of rice. Rice has become a staple food and high rice prices have caused riots in major African cities in early 2008.

In 2007, sub-Saharan African countries imported approximately 10 million tons of rice, which is close to one-third of the rice available on the world market. However, relying on the world market to supply rice has become a very risky, expensive and unsustainable strategy. Rice prices have tripled over the last three years and global stocks are rapidly declining. To avoid severe food insecurity, civil unrest, and an economic downturn there is an urgent need to increase rice production in Africa.

Africa Rice Center seeks to be a driving and dynamic force in assuring the pivotal role of rice in alleviating poverty and attaining food security, social equity, healthy livelihoods and environments in Africa. The Center believes that Africa has the potential to produce enough quality rice for its population and even for export to other regions in due course of time.

5. Where does it work?

The temporary headquarters of the Africa Rice Center is based in Cotonou, Benin; research staff are also based in Senegal, Nigeria, Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire.

It was constituted as the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA)—a name that it carried until 2003 when it was designated the “Africa Rice Center” in recognition of its leading role in rice research in Africa.

 

6. What is its mode of operation?

Since its inception, the Africa Rice Center has conducted rice research for impact in close collaboration with its partners from the national agricultural research systems (NARS) in Africa, sister CGIAR centers, academic institutions, advanced research institutions, farmers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations and donors.

7. What is its research agenda?

The Board of Trustees of the Africa Rice Center approved a new research structure in 2008, which comprises four programs and one CGIAR Systemwide and Eco-regional Program (SWEP):

Program 1: Bridging genetic diversity and breeding to produce rice genetic resources adapted to changing environments (Genetic Diversity and Improvement)

Program 2: Enhancing productivity of rice-based farming while protecting ecosystem services (Sustainable Productivity Enhancement)

Program 3: Creating windows of opportunity through partnerships, learning and innovation systems (Learning and Innovation Systems)

Program 4: Rice policy and technology impact on food security and poverty reduction (Policy and Impact Assessment)

SWEP: The Consortium for the Sustainable Development of Inland Valley Agro-ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa (IVC)

Each of these programs is equivalent to one Medium Term Plan (MTP) project.

The Africa Rice Center has developed a joint research strategy and implementation plan for Eastern and Southern Africa with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and is currently working on a new Strategic Plan for 2010 – 2020.

8. What are its research priorities?

Short term

• Raising productivity in farmers’ fields: bridging the yield gaps (‘extension agronomy’, access to inputs, including seed of best-bet varieties)

• Re-working existing stocks of rice knowledge into formats ready for dissemination

Medium term

• Producing the next generation of rice varieties building on the NERICA success: varieties for upland and lowland conditions, resistant to major (a) biotic stresses

• Expanding rice cultivation: tap Africa’s vastly under-utilized rainfed lowlands

• Adopting and adapting agricultural machinery for land preparation, harvest and post-harvest: adding more energy to rice farming

• Building rice value chains: adding value to rice produce (grain quality)

• Harmonizing rice policies (variety release, seed legislation, input subsidies, import tariffs…)

• Diversifying rice-based systems

Long term

• Invest in research and extension capacity building in Africa

• Adapt to and mitigate effects of climate change

9. How do partners have access to its technologies?

The technologies developed by the Africa Rice Center, such as the NERICA® rice varieties are disseminated in partnership with other organizations such as farmer associations and NGOs that operate at the grassroots level.

The Center pays particular attention to the shortage of rice scientists and training of technicians and extension agents in Africa. It has launched a Post-Masters program to boost national rice research capacity. A special unit focusing on Training, Information Management and Extension linkages (RiceTIME Unit) has been created to lead the Center’s contribution to the Emergency Rice Initiative (see www.africaricecenter.org) and facilitate rice information management and capacity building. RiceTIME hosts a number of regional networks, such as the African Rice Initiative (ARI).

10. How is it funded?

The Center receives funding from a wide variety of sources, including its member countries. It is part of the CGIAR, which is supported by more than 60 developed and developing countries and bilateral and multilateral aid agencies.
 

Rice Crisis

1. What is actually responsible for the increasing price of rice?

• Many factors explain the current high price of rice. First of all, since 2002 the global rice production level has fallen short of consumption, requiring continuous appeals to the world's reserves to bridge the gap between supply and aggregate demand. The drawdown of globally held rice stocks to compensate for production shortfall has resulted in their gradual decline from 147.3 million tonnes in 2001 to 74.1 million tonnes in 2008.

• A compounding factor has been the exports ban and barriers by major players. In July and October 2007, Vietnam and India respectively, the second and third largest rice exporters banned rice supply on the world market in an attempt to contain soaring prices in their domestic markets and to replenish their security stocks. Since January 2008, these two countries have been emulated by Cambodia and Egypt which have also banned rice exports. Other countries such as China and Argentina have greatly increased export taxes and other barriers to rice exportations. In a notoriously thin and segmented international rice market, such barriers to trade exacerbated significantly rice supply shortage and price variability.

• Other contributing factors are the rising price of oil and freight, depreciation of the US dollar, additional pressure on agricultural resources because of biofuel production etc.

2. Where can the NERICA come in to alleviate the problem?

• Greater availability and access of rice seeds of improved varieties such as upland and lowland NERICA® and Sahel varieties for the irrigated conditions using an integrated approach could help alleviate the pressure on domestic demand. Some of the NERICA® varieties because of their adaptation to the local stresses and short growth duration which permit double cropping are popular with farmers.

• However, it must be clear that NERICA® and other improved varieties are an important component – indeed the basis of rice production – but they have to be put in the right setting. This includes improved access to credit, seed, mineral fertilizer and farm machinery (for land preparation and harvest and post-harvest practices); diffusion of best-bet knowledge on rice management options, enhanced infrastructure (roads, water control), improved links between rice production, processing and marketing and an enabling policy environment.

• WARDA intends to facilitate and provide technical assistance to national agricultural research systems (NARS) to produce foundation seed and certified seed of major improved varieties for the three main rice ecologies (upland, rainfed lowland and irrigated lowland).

3. As an institute, what is your opinion on bringing down the price of rice?

• Our option for bringing down the price of rice rests essentially on the development through the increase of domestic rice production. Both short-term palliative measures and medium- to long-term sectoral development measures are needed. Short-term measures include the reduction of customs duties and taxes on imports in rice as well as the promotion of greater access to seed and other critical inputs such as fertilizer, pesticide, agricultural credit and farm machinery to raise the productivity of rice farmers.

• Government should ensure that measures such as exemption from customs duties and taxes on imports of rice are limited in time in order not to impede the competitiveness of local production.

• In the medium- and long-term, tax on all critical inputs, on-farm cost-saving agricultural machinery and equipments and post-harvest technologies for all players along the rice supply chain need to be reduced. Governments have also key roles to play in facilitating access to financial services and credit for stakeholders in domestic rice sector; increase investment in water control technologies; expand the rice areas under irrigation; increase investment in regional research capacity to support the development of rice varieties resistant to major pests and diseases and sufficiently robust to withstand drought and climate change induced shocks; and accelerate the rhythm of investment in rural infrastructure as road, transport, storage facility communication infrastructure should enhance rice farmers’ capacity to response to market signals and improve their access to market.

4. There was news some months back on genetically modified rice. Does the current increase in price of rice have anything to do with this type of rice found in countries like Nigeria and Ghana?

• No, there is no link. There is no GMO rice cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). All rice varieties cultivated in SSA are normal rice varieties (bred through conventional breeding methods).