Communicating weed management strategies

AfricaRice scientists and their national partners are collaborating to find socially and economically acceptable and effective weed management options for inland valleys, which have high potential of rice production in West Africa.

They are studying farmers’ knowledge of weed problems and mitigation methods. Using participatory approaches they are also optimizing crop establishment methods with

Communication des stratégies de gestion des adventices

Les chercheurs d’AfricaRice et ceux des SNRA collaborent pour trouver des options de gestion des adventices qui soient socialement et économiquement acceptables et efficaces pour les bas-fonds, qui ont un potentiel élevé de production rizicole en Afrique de l’Ouest.

Ils étudient la connaissance des paysans en matière d’infestation des adventices et de méthodes de lutte. En utilisant les

JIRCAS visit

Three scientists from the Japan International
Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) visited the Sahel Station with
AfricaRice program leader for Genetic Diversity and Improvement, Takashi Kumashiro,
on 21–22 March to discuss areas of collaboration — marker-assisted selection
(MAS) for shattering, blast and cold tolerance, and capacity-building involving
scientific exchange visits,

Entretien avec le Dr Marco Wopereis sur Le partenariat mondial de la science rizicole (GRiSP)

1) Pour quoi est-il si important d’avoir un vaste programme mondial de recherche sur le riz ?Le riz est la culture vivrière la plus importante du monde en développement et l’aliment de base pour plus de la moitié de la population mondiale dont une grande partie est aussi extrêmement vulnérable aux prix élevés du riz. L’augmentation des prix du riz va affecter négativement les familles pauvres et

GSR Mid-Term Review

The Green Super Rice (GSR) project underwent
its mid-term review in March. The review team included scientists from the
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), and started its tour by visiting sites in Mozambique
and Mali from 1 to 7 March. On 10–12 March, AfricaRice hybrid-rice breeder Raafat
El-Namaky led visits to GSR project

Board approves AfricaRice lead role in GRiSP in Africa

At its 2011 meeting, held in Saint-Louis,
Senegal, 7–10 March, the Center’s Board of Trustees endorsed AfricaRice’s lead
role for the continent in the recently launched Global Rice Science Partnership
(GRiSP) that aims to contribute to significantly lowering rice prices and
reducing global poverty by more than 10%.



The Board expressed keen interest in the Center’s
new research thrusts,

Interview with Dr Marco Wopereis on Global Rice Science Partnership

1. Why is it so important to have a large global research project on rice?Rice is the most important food crop of the developing world and the staple food of more than half of the world’s population, many of whom are also extremely vulnerable to high rice prices. Increasing rice prices will adversely affect poor and low-income households who spend a larger proportion of their revenue on staple