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Rice science at the service of Africa / La science rizicole au service de l’Afrique
Episodes
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Aug 07, 2013
Wednesday Jun 12, 2013
Wednesday Jun 12, 2013
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
Monday May 13, 2013
Monday May 13, 2013
How do men and women rice farmers respond to the impacts of climate change, particularly relating to safeguarding food security and livelihoods? In sub-Saharan Africa, rice is primarily a women’s crop in the rainfed upland and lowland ecologies. They provide the bulk of the labor to rice cultivation from sowing to weeding, harvesting, bird scaring and also processing and marketing. Despite their central role, women rice farmers, processors and traders have limited access to and control of productive resources, which prevent them from adopting new technologies. But there is growing realization that climate-smart agriculture actions must take gender issues into account. An Africa-wide Task Force on Gender in Rice Research and Technology Development (GRRTD) was established in 2011 is to support the efforts of AfricaRice and its national partners in addressing gender concerns especially gender gaps in access to technologies, knowledge, specific technology needs of women and their potential roles as contributors and beneficiaries of technologies in the rice value chains. The GRRTD Task Force functions through gender focal points nominated in AfricaRice member countries. As part of the CGIAR Research Program on Rice known as the Global Rice Science Partnerships or GRiSP in short, the GRRTD Task Force was actively involved in a research project on “Gender and Climate Change in Stress-prone Rice Environments in Asia and Africa.” A workshop to synthesize and draw lessons from the findings of this research was held, 6-10 May 2013, at AfricaRice, Cotonou, Benin. Key gender focal points as well as researchers involved in mainstreaming gender in rice R&D from the national programs in Africa, the International Rice Research Institute and AfricaRice attended. The participants discussed strategies to strengthen capacities for conducting research on gender issues and integrate gender into rice research and technology processes. They also developed 2013/2014 work plans for the African component of the GRiSP Gender Strategy. Speakers in the podcast (in order of intervention) Afiavi R Agboh-Noameshie, AfricaRice, Benin Thelma Paris, IRRI, Philippines Alice Djinadou Igue, INRAB, Benin Grace Bolfrey Arku, CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Ghana Marie-Antoinette Haba, IRAG, Guinea Dorothy Malaa, IRAD, Cameroon Maimouna Ndour, AfricaRice, Senegal Jean Moreira, AfricaRice, Benin For more information, please visit www.africarice.org Podcast credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice
Thursday Apr 18, 2013
Thursday Apr 18, 2013
Uganda—widely known as “the pearl of Africa” for its exquisite natural beauty, diverse flora and fauna, and rich mosaic of cultures— is attracting attention today as a potential rice basket for eastern Africa. Over the last few years, Uganda has been experiencing a remarkable rice boom supported by good farming practices, premium market prices, and favorable policies that have stimulated large private investment in the rice sector. The growth of Uganda’s rice production has contributed to greater food security and a reduction in rice imports. For instance, according to the Ugandan government, rice imports dropped between 2005 and 2008, which helped save the country about US$30 million in foreign exchange earnings. The area sown to rice nearly doubled from about 80,000 hectares in 2002 to about 150,000 hectares in 2011. Similarly, paddy production jumped from about 120,000 tons in 2002 to more than 220,000 tons in 2011. “The rice industry in the country has rapidly moved from improved seed to production to processing and to the markets over the last few years,” said Robert Anyang, program officer of Public-Private Partnership and Market Access at Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG2000). This is a feat that several riceproducing countries in sub-Saharan Africa would like to achieve. Yet, 10 years ago, Uganda was barely known as a rice-producing country in the region. To find out what triggered the rice transformation, listen to this podcast. Podcast credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R.Raman, AfricaRice
Monday Mar 11, 2013
Monday Mar 11, 2013
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