AfricaRice Audio Podcasts

Jollof rice – a popular dish from West African countries

Jollof rice  – a popular dish from West African countries

Jollof  is a dish prepared from rice, tomatoes and usually meat or fish widely eaten in some West African countries including Ghana. It is a popular dish for special occasions and a delicacy for children in particular. It is probably the main dish on the menu of every child’s party in Ghana. There are slight variations of jollof rice from household to household. One can use whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand; chicken, beef, ham, sausage, shrimp, fish or pork and vegetables like beans, carrots, mushrooms and peppers.

The dish requires about 15 minutes of preparation and an hour and half of cooking time.

Today Mrs Eugenia Manful is going to show you how to prepare Jollof rice. Mrs Manful is a Ghanaian national. She lives with her family in Tema, a town which is located 25 km east of the national capital, Accra, and works as a Chief Revenue Officer under the Ghana Revenue Authority. She loves to cook traditional dishes from her country for her family and friends.

Ingredients

•             6 tablespoon oil.
•             1 kg boneless beef cut into small pieces.
•             5 cups of water or stock.
•             2 chopped onions.
•             1 tablespoon garlic chili paste.
•             1 kg non sticky rice.
•             200 gm tomato paste.
•             6 big fresh tomatoes chopped or blended.
•             1 large bell pepper cut into pieces.
•             4 carrots, peeled and chopped.
•             10 green beans cut into 2 inch pieces.
•             Salt to taste.
•             Spices (optional).

 

Preparation

1.            Heat the oil in a large pot.
2.            Add the beef and fry until it turns brown on all sides.
3.            Remove the beef to another pan.
4.            Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
5.            Add chili and garlic paste and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
6.            Add the tomato paste and blended fresh tomatoes.
7.            Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
8.            Add water or stock, spices, fried beef and rice.
9.            Add salt to taste.
10.         Cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
11.         Add vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
12.         Keep stirring from time to time until the rice is cooked.
13.         Serve with cooked vegetables, grilled chicken or fried fish, tomato or pepper sauce.

AfricaRice GRiSP Theme 4 Leader Dr John Manful said "it has lot of vegetables as well as meat and rice. Although there are several other things that go with it, the  Jollof rice as we make it is a complete meal in itself."

Bon appétit!

Podcast credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice

AfricaRice Director General calls for integration of rice science in regional policy agenda

Impressed with the outputs of the AfricaRice Regional Station in Saint Louis, Senegal, in terms of high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties,  improved agronomic packages, policy options and knowledge, AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley said, “The work that is being done at this Regional Station by a very dynamic team is focused and relevant. However, more efforts need to be made to integrate rice science in the regional policy agenda.”

Dr Roy-Macauley made these remarks to the staff during his first visit to the Saint Louis Regional Station. “This Station has made significant contributions to the rice sector development in the Sahel region and it is clear that the Sahel countries need you.”

After receiving a warm welcome from the scientists and support staff of the Regional Station, Dr Roy-Macauley visited the experimental fields and the laboratories for biotechnology, grain quality and soil science. The Acting Regional Station Head Dr Kabirou Ndiaye gave a brief overview of the Station’s activities which was complemented by presentations by scientists.

Dr Roy-Macauley took the opportunity to explain the principles and pillars of his vision in order to help AfricaRice grow into a big pan-African international Center of Excellence for research, development and capacity strengthening.

Scenes from the visit of AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley to the Center's Regional Station in Saint Louis, Senegal

Cliquez ici pour écouter le discours du Dr Roy-Macauley / Click here to listen to Dr Roy-Macauley’s speech.

Dr Baboucarr Manneh highlights the achievements of the STRASA-Africa component

The Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) phase III Africa annual meeting was held on the 13th of February 2015 in Cotonou, Benin. Forty six (46) participants from 19 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia. Ghana, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and USA) attended this meeting. Sixteen countries which are involved in the project were represented by their focal points.

Key personalities present at the meeting were Dr Gary Atlin of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr Marco Wopereis, Deputy Director General-Research and Development, AfricaRice; Dr Mathew Morell, Deputy Director General, IRRI; Dr Abdelbagi Ismail, Overall STRASA Coordinator, IRRI; Dr Baboucarr Manneh, STRAS-Africa Coordinator; and Dr Issoufou Kapran, Program Officer, Seed Production and Dissemination, AGRA. Representatives of several STRASA development partners such as CORAF/WECARD (West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development) and NAFASO (Private company in Burkina Faso) were also present.

The presentations and discussions focused on progress made by AfricaRice and IRRI-ESA project scientists and NARS partners in identifying and developing scalable products such as abiotic stress tolerant genes, breeding lines and varieties as well as dissemination strategies for the newly released stress tolerant varieties. In 2014, three drought tolerant lines were submitted for release in Mali (WAB 358-5-2-3-3-P, CNAX3031-78-2-1-1, WABC265) and 6 cold tolerant lines (Scrid 006-2-4-2-3, HR 17570-21-5-2-5-2-2-1-5, ARICA 9, WAS 62-B-B-14-1, PSBRC 96, WAS 203-B-B-1) were also submitted for release in Burundi and Mali. The need for greater integration of gender issues into the strategic results framework of the project was also emphasized at the meeting. Drafts Seed Road Maps developed by NARS partners for the newly released stress tolerant varieties were updated at the meeting. 

Dr Baboucarr Manneh highlights the achievements of the STRASA-Africa component. 

Listen to this podcast.

Esther Leah Achandi received the Young Rice Scientist Award

Esther Leah Achandi received the Young Rice Scientist Award at the International Rice Congress held in Thailand, Bangkok in November 2014, for her research on  “Market participation by small holder rice farmers in Tanzania: A double hurdle analysis”.

Adding value to Africa’s rice

In Africa, both the quantity and quality of rice suffer huge losses, especially during postharvest operations.

Until recently, R&D thrusts in Africa have focused mainly on how to increase rice production but relatively less on how to improve the quality of rice.

However, Africa’s rice sector is now more aware that producing just more rice is not enough and that quality—as well as quantity—is essential. To be competitive, Africa’s rice sector needs to make rice quality and marketing important.

Rising to the challenge, Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and AfricaRice, in partnership with McGill University, are spearheading an ambitious project on food security in Africa with a focus on rice postharvest handling and marketing.

The project is helping actors along the value chain add value to rice, the project is helping raise income, improve rice quality, and expand the market for locally produced rice products.

3rd Africa Rice Congress Expectations : Dr. Sali Atanga

Dr. Sali Atanga, Grain Quality Researcher, AfricaRice, Benin, speaks about his expectations for the 3rd Africa Rice Congress, 21-24 October 2013, in Yaoundé, Cameroon…

For more information, visit www.africarice.org/arc2013

 

Podcast by : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice

AfricaRice : Improving Food Security Information in Africa

Improving Food Security Information in Africa For the sub-Saharan African countries to fully achieve their potential for rice production it is critical to have adequate and reliable information on their rice economies, to help formulate appropriate strategies and policies. AfricaRice launched an initiative in December 2007 as part of the Japan-AfricaRice Emergency Rice Initiative (ERI), which was designed to improve the timely availability, reliability and relevance of rice statistics and information needed for quality rice research, evidence-based policy formulation, and monitoring and evaluation of rice related investments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The initiative was implemented in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), the National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Agriculture, Hydrology, Meteorology (Regional Research Centre) (AGRHYMET) and other regional stakeholders. The project worked  with NARS and NASS in 21 member countries of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Building on the success of that project, a new 3-year project has been launched with financial and technical support from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to improve the food security information system in Africa through the generation of quality rice data and information. This will add value to the existing endeavors undertaken so far towards the goal of improving the availability and reliability of rice statistics in support of the objective of the CARD initiative. The project will consist mainly of three main activities relating to: 1) the development of a survey methodology to be used to conduct rice surveys in the participating countries, 2) NARS capacity building to acquire the required skills to implement rice surveys using the method that will be introduced by the project, and 3) conduct surveys in selected countries. For more information, visit www.AfricaRice.org Speakers in the podcast  (in order of intervention) : Dr.  Kenji Kamikura,  Senior Statistician, Statistics Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and. Fisheries of Japan Dr. Elisha Martine Mkandya, Economist, Tanzania Ilonga Agricultural Research Institute, Tanzania Dr. Vivian E. Ojehomon, Head of Planning/Agric. Economist, National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Nigeria. Dr. Ali Touré, Coordinator, IFAD Project for WCA, AfricaRice, Benin Video credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice

Helping global rice science make a difference

In a recent essay, Bill Gates says, “You can achieve incredible progress if you set a clear goal and find a measure that will drive progress toward that goal.” He goes on to add “This may seem basic, but it is amazing how often it is not done and how hard it is to get right.” In order “to get it right,” key scientists from AfricaRice, CIAT, CIRAD, IRD, JIRCAS, and IRRI, who serve as the Theme Leaders and focal persons of the CGIAR Research Program on Rice – known as the Global Rice Science Partnership or GRiSP in short – met recently at IRRI, Los Baños, Philippines, to develop clear pathways from global rice research outputs to development outcomes and impact and establish metrics for monitoring and evaluation. GRiSP streamlines current rice research for development activities of the CGIAR and aligns them with more than 900 rice research and development partners worldwide to increase rice productivity and value for the poor, foster more sustainable rice-based production, help rice farmers adapt to climate change and improve the efficiency and equity of the rice sector. IRRI leads GRiSP and activities in Asia, with AfricaRice leading the work in Africa and CIAT the work in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Other internationally operating research organizations such as CIRAD, IRD, and JIRCAS play a strategic role in GRiSP. To learn more about how GRiSP can make a difference, listen to the GRiSP Theme Leaders and focal persons speaking about their important meeting. Speakers in the podcast (in order of intervention) Bas Bouman, IRRI, GRiSP Director Aliou Diagne, AfricaRice, GRiSP Theme 5 Leader Frédéric Lançon, CIRAD, GRiSP Theme 5 Leader Samarendu Mohanty, IRRI, GRiSP Theme 5 Leader Hei Leung, IRRI, GRiSP Theme 1 Leader Marie Noelle Ndjiondjop, AfricaRice, GRiSP Theme 1 Leader Eero Nissila, IRRI, GRiSP Theme 2 Leader Osamu Koyama, JIRCAS, GRiSP PPMT Member Alain Ghesquière, IRD, GRiSP PPMT Member/Theme 2 Leader Takashi Kumashiro, AfricaRice, GRiSP Theme 2 Leader David Johnson, IRRI, GRiSP Theme 3 Leader Koichi Futakuchi, AfricaRice, GRiSP Theme 3 Leader John Manful, AfricaRice, GRiSP Theme 4 Leader Noel Magor, IRRI, GRiSP Theme 6 Leader Gonzalo Zorilla, CIAT, GRiSP Theme 6 Leader For more information on GRiSP, visit http://www.cgiar.org/our-research/cgiar-research-programs/rice-grisp/ Podcast credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice www.AfricaRice.org

Africa Rice Recipes – WAAKYE - a popular dish from Ghana made with rice and beans

Waakye (pronounced waa-chay) is a popular dish from Ghana made with rice and beans. The dish requires about 15 minutes of preparation and an hour and half of cooking time. Ingredients 2 cups of rice 1 cup of red beans or black-eyed peas or any kind of beans or peas 4 dry sorghum leaves (if you do not have sorghum leaves, you can use 1 teaspoon of baking soda instead.) Salt to taste 10 cups of water Preparation Wash and soak the beans in water for 3-4 hours. Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with water. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook for about 45 minutes Wash the sorghum leaves. Cut the leaves into lengths of 3 to 4 inches, toss them in with the boiling beans and allow them to cook together. If sorghum leaves are not available, add a teaspoon of baking soda to give the Waakye its characteristic color. Remove the sorghum leaves from the beans after 5 minutes Wash the rice and add to the beans in the pot, along with more water. Allow the mixture to cook for about 15-20 minutes (or until the beans are tender and rice is cooked and all liquid has been totally absorbed.) Watch out that the mixture does not burn and keep stirring while it cooks Season with salt Serve the dish with pepper sauce, boiled eggs and/or a stew of, fish, chicken, beef or vegetables. Bon appétit! Recipe author : Eugenia Manful,  Ghana Revenue Authority, Accra, Ghana Guests : John Manful, AfricaRice, Benin Jemima, CSIR-Food Research Institute, Accra, Ghana Abimbola Olukemi Sanni, AfricaRice, Benin Seth Graham Acquaah, AfricaRice, Benin Yvette Singbo Dossa, AfricaRice, Benin Podcast credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice