Project 2: Sustainable Intensification of Lowland Rice-based Systems for Enhanced Livelihoods

A combination of improved quality rice varieties, pest and disease management packages designed for sustainability, and multi-cropping for more and better food at lower cost as well as for wealth creation will help revive and expand rice production in lowlands. Cutting edge biotechnology tools and innovative traditional breeding methods will pinpoint and develop breeding material with resistance to important stresses that will be evaluated by farmers through participatory varietal selection to identify farmer-selected lines for release. At the same time, integrated pest management packages and integrated crop management are emphasized. Vegetable crops will improve and diversify farm production. The project mainly focuses on: (i) new cultivars with resistance or tolerance to iron toxicity, RYMV, AfRGM and weeds; (ii) sustainable integrated crop management techniques for these widespread stresses; (iii) new high-value vegetable or field crop options to fit a rice-based system. The system priorities strongly addressed in this project include Priority area 2 and sub-priorities 1a, 1b and 4d. The diversification element is pertinent to sub-priority 3a.

Outputs

1. High-yielding and stable lowland rice lines of good quality available

2. Improved integrated crop management options for lowland rice-based systems

3. Stable and profitable crop diversification in lowland rice-based systems