African Farmers Gaining Access to Disease-Resistant, 'Upland' Rice Varieties

23/04/08 As concern builds around the impact of rising food prices and new restrictions on rice exports from Asian countries hit by adverse climate conditions, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has announced that African rice breeders have made critical steps towards ensuring self-sufficiency and boosting African rice production. The successful development and release of stress-tolerant upland and lowland irrigated rice varieties has begun to significantly increase rice production in some countries, including Uganda. At the same time, there is the need for strong government support of rice breeding and seed distribution programs to maximize gains.

“African rice consumption exceeds production. Only 54 percent of sub-Saharan Africa rice consumption is supplied locally,” said AGRA program officer Jane Ininda at the Kampala meeting. “Farmers need new high-yielding, locally adapted varieties to raise rice yield and turn around Africa's food crisis situation. Governments should develop policies that speed up the breeding and distribution of new varieties. There is need for urgent action here.”

The demand for rice in sub-Saharan Africa is double the rate of population growth and consumption is growing faster than that of any other major food staple. But rather than substantially increasing local production, demand for imports has surged. In Mali, for example, rice imports doubled over a four-year period, increasing from 51,969 tones in 2000 to 105,390 tones in 2004.

The announcement was made at the inaugural meeting of the Rice Breeders Network, a consortium of eminent rice breeders, researchers, and seed companies from more than 10 African countries. Recent advances are largely result of funding from the Nairobi-based AGRA, which also announced ambitious plans to support the development and release of new rice varieties in Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Nigeria and Malawi that will ultimately boost local production, improve regional food security, and reduce Africa’s over-reliance on rice imports from Asia. In addition to these countries, network participants hailed from Benin, Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania.

Recent successes and future efforts focus on breeding locally adapted varieties of “Nerica” rice, which is a resilient, high-yielding cross of an African and Asian rice species. Breeders of Nerica rice won the World Food Prize in 2004. As an “upland” rice, Nerica is not restricted to growing in paddies, thus enabling African farmers to grow rice in places that no one before thought possible. But to make use of Nericas, farmers need locally adapted varieties that are early maturing, disease resistant, have the aroma and taste that local communities prefer, and have “spikes” that protect the rice from hungry birds.

“As long as Africa depends on imports for meeting our food demands, we will experience food crises as the costs continue to rise for consumers, said Dr. Ngongi Namanga, AGRA’s President. “We must boost local production. We must grow our own food.”

AGRA is a partnership-based organization that works across sub-Saharan Africa to end rural poverty and hunger by increasing the productivity and sustainability of smallholder farming. AGRA is funding the Rice Breeders Network meeting and many of the new breeding efforts. Its support of the Rice Breeders Network is part of a comprehensive approach that embraces everything from the development and distribution of high-quality seeds, to improving soil health and agricultural education, and developing markets and infrastructure for agriculture.

The Rice Breeders Network hosted their first meeting in Uganda, which has scored recent successes in developing upland varieties and getting them into the hands of farmers. In March 2004, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni launched the Upland Rice Project with support from United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Since then, rice farming in Uganda has grown from 4,000 farmers in 2004 to over 35,000 in 2007 and the acreage for rice growing areas has increased dramatically. In addition, Uganda has reduced its rice importation from 60,000 metric tons (MT) in 2005 to 35,000 MT in 2007, saving Ugandans roughly $USD 30 million in the process, according to the Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO).

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Dennis Kyetere, head of NARO, said “African agriculture has always depended on Mother Nature. As a result, we have experienced 40 years of declining production and an increase in rural poverty. More than 200 million people are malnourished. This is not a bible that we should continue quoting in our prayers.”