February 9, 2003—A remarkable partnership between African food scientists and farmers working to improve the world’s leading food crop—rice—is spelling hope for thousands of farmers south of the Sahara.
 | | NERICAs are a symbol of hope for achieving food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
Researchers at The Africa Rice Center (WARDA) in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire have developed New Rices for Africa (NERICAs) by tapping into the knowledge of local farmers, utilizing Africa’s rich gene pool of local rice varieties, and combining these with high-yielding Asian rice varieties that were the mainstay of the Green Revolution.
"Science and technology are natural allies in the battle against poverty and in the promotion of sustainable prosperity," says Mamphela Ramphele, World Bank Managing Director who is keenly interested in promoting science and technology to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. "The NERICAs story demonstrates the value of an African-led research-for-development strategy that successfully mobilized cutting-edge science to boost rice yields, farmer incomes, and well-being." First, the WARDA scientists had to develop a technology adapted to the harsh growing environment of upland rice ecology, which employs about 70 percent of the region’s rice farmers, mostly women, who lack the means to irrigate and apply chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Second, when the scientists attempted to combine the toughness of the native African (Oryza glabberima) rice varieties with the productivity of the Asian (Oryza sativa) rice varieties, they had to overcome the barrier of hybrid sterility that had stymied earlier such efforts. Using cutting-edge technology, they overcame this problem, in association with an array of partners from around the world, and succeeded in developing the NERICAs. But for the NERICA research and development activities, challenges are far from over. The NERICAs seed multiplication and adaptation work conducted at WARDA’s Bouaké research station was disrupted because of the civil strife in Côte d’Ivoire in September 2002. WARDA scientists had to be relocated away from the risk zone, to neighboring Mali to continue these activities.  | | The Africa Rice Initiative (ARI) is a major, multi-donor effort to accelerate the dissemination of NERICAs. The World Bank, UNDP and the Government of Japan are strong supporters of NERICAs. |
"Rice is a major food staple in Africa, and rice demand is spiraling at six percent per annum," says Kanayo Nwanze, Director General, The Africa Rice Center. "In a region where rice imports top $1 billion, NERICAs are not only boosting farmer incomes but also helping countries cut crippling rice import bills. We believe NERICAs are providing our client countries with true agricultural, economic, and social dividends." NERICAs are also helping strengthen science and technology capabilities and scientific cooperation in Africa. After initially working with farmers at the local level, WARDA scientists began partnering with national agricultural research programs in 20 African countries, and advanced research institutions in Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The Africa Rice Initiative launched in 2002 is serving as a platform for coordination and coalition-building. NERICAs now occupy about 30,000 hectares in Africa (including about 23,000 hectares in West and Central Africa). They are spreading fast in East Africa; in Uganda alone about 6,000 hectares are planted to NERICAs. NERICAs’ advantages include higher yields, early maturity, savings in labor, and increased resistance to local stresses (e.g. drought, infertile and toxic soils, and pests). They provide better nutrition and are particularly suited for low-input farming conditions common in subsistence agriculture. More than 3,000 family lines have been developed opening up a new world of rice biodiversity. "NERICAs offer ample proof that quality science, coupled with farmer’s local knowledge, can create farming solutions that generate tremendous benefits," said Ian Johnson, CGIAR Chairman and World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. "Such efforts need to be showcased and replicated widely to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015." The Africa Rice Center is one of 15 international agricultural research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
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