New Programatic Structure

To effectively translate its new Strategic Plan, The Africa Rice Center (WARDA) launched in 2004 a new programmatic structure—approved by the Board and endorsed by its partners—that will enhance the relevance and impact of its research products and services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). 

The new structure will better position the Center to address the emerging challenges in SSA and ensure that the quality of its science continues to meet the highest international standards. 

New Programmatic Structure of Core Research Areas

The Center’s core research areas focus on the two major challenges highlighted in its 2003-2012 Strategic Plan: 1. Integrated Rice Production Systems; and 2. Rice Policy and Development. The two programs are headed each by an Assistant Director under the supervision of the Assistant Director General, Research and Development. 

1. Integrated Rice Production Systems  

Activities under this program seek to:

• Improve resource use efficiency for more productive, profitable, and socio-economically viable rice production systems in SSA

• Develop stress-tolerant rice varieties and agronomic practices that best fit or better optimize existing production systems in SSA and are acceptable to both producers and consumers

2. Rice Policy and Development 

The thrust of this program is to:

• Build strategies for competitive rice sector development in SSA through a better understanding of rice policy and market dynamics and a systematic assessment of impacts of technical and institutional changes within the rice sector

• Enhance the institutional capacity of national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) by extending its highly successful network model to other rice-producing areas of Africa

• Mitigate the effects of environmental disasters and pandemic diseases on rice-based livelihoods by providing information, technology, and support

These two programs function through 8 well-focused projects with specific outputs and milestones within the Medium-Term Plan (MTP).

As part of its new research agenda, the Center reaches out beyond its traditional partners to ensure that its knowledge and technologies are relevant and accessible to a broader range of actors interested in rice development in Africa: ranging from international development banks and bilateral agencies, through government and research institutions to local NGOs and the private sector.