Call for nominations: Outstanding Rice Entrepreneurs in Africa

The Third Africa Rice Congress brings together representatives
from the public and private sector, civil society organizations,
farmer associations and research and extension communities
engaged in the development of Africa’s rice sector. This unique
and pan-African event is organized by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)
and the Food and Agriculture

Dr Adama Traoré named Interim Director General of AfricaRice 



The Board of Trustees of the Africa Rice Center(AfricaRice) has appointed former Board member and Vice-Chair Dr Adama Traoré as Interim Director General with effect from 12 September 2013. It has also put in place procedures to initiate immediately the selection process for recruiting a new Director General.The announcement was

AfricaRice Board congratulates Dr Papa Seck on his nomination as Senegal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment

Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Director General of the
Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) 


We
are immensely proud to share the news that Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Director
General of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), has been nominated by the
President of Senegal as the new Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment.



He
will end his appointment at AfricaRice on 12 September 2013 after seven

Le Conseil d’administration d’AfricaRice félicite Dr Papa Seck pour sa nomination au poste de ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Équipement rural du Sénégal

Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Directeur général du
Centre du riz pour l’Afrique (AfricaRice) 


Nous sommes très fiers de partager avec vous la nouvelle
concernant Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Directeur général du Centre du riz pour
l’Afrique (AfricaRice), qui a été nommé par le président du Sénégal comme
nouveau ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Équipement rural.



Il cessera ses fonctions à

Insufficient seed: A barrier to farmers’ adoption of varieties

In sub-Saharan
Africa, insufficient seed of new varieties has been a barrier to farmers’
adoption of varieties for decades. Moreover, seed systems have almost always
been divorced from the providers of the varieties — the breeders.



According to Dr
Moussa Sié, Africa Rice Breeding Task Force Coordinator, breeders should be
responsible for the production of ‘breeder seed’. When the formal

Le manque de semences : un frein à l’adoption des variétés par les producteurs

 

En Afrique subsaharienne, le manque de semences
de nouvelles variétés a été un frein à l’adoption des variétés par les
producteurs pendant des décennies. De plus, les systèmes semenciers ont presque
toujours été dissociés des fournisseurs des variétés – les sélectionneurs.



Selon Dr Moussa Sié, Sélectionneur principal
d’AfricaRice et Coordonnateur du Groupe d’action Sélection et

Setting up a network of rice hubs across Africa

As
part of its 2011-2020 Strategic Plan, AfricaRice is working with its partners
across the continent to set up Rice Sector Development Hubs to concentrate
research and development efforts, establish a critical mass, connect partners
along the rice value chain, and facilitate the spread of innovations.



The
hubs are testing grounds for new rice technologies and follow a
“reverse-research

Implantation d’un réseau des pôles de développement du secteur rizicole à travers l’Afrique

Dans
le cadre de son Plan stratégique 2011-2020, AfricaRice travaille avec ses
partenaires dans l’ensemble du continent, en vue de mettre en place des Pôles
de développement du secteur rizicole 
afin de concentrer les efforts de recherche et de développement, de
créer une masse critique, de relier les partenaires le long de la chaîne de
valeur du riz, et de faciliter la diffusion des

Panoply of rice varieties for Africa showcased at the 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week

As
rice has become the most rapidly growing food source in Africa, the development
of rice varieties that are better adapted to production environments and
consumer preferences in the continent resonates well with the theme of the 6th
Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) underway in Accra, Ghana: “Africa
feeding Africa through Science and Innovations.”



Seeds
of these improved varieties –

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

Genetic bridges between Africa and Asia

Achieving food security in Africa largely depends on growing
high-yielding crops, such as rice, that are also well adapted to the
continent’s harsh environment. GRiSP, through the Institut de Recherche pour leDéveloppement (IRD), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), andAfrica Rice Center (AfricaRice), is building genetic bridges between African
and Asian rice to accelerate the

AfricaRice Daily Celebrates First Anniversary

Today marks the
first anniversary of AfricaRice’s online Daily, which was launched in 2012.





AfricaRice Daily
is a customized newspaper built from articles, blog posts, videos and photos
selected by AfricaRice and CGIAR Consortium relating to agricultural research
and development.



The Daily fills a
crucial need for a quick glimpse of news reports on agriculture, especially the
rice

Addressing the gender dimensions of rice research and development (R&D)

Scene from the Gender in Rice Research and Development Task Force Review and Planning Workshop, 6-10 May 2013, at AfricaRice, Cotonou, Benin... click here more photos


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

African Development Bank delegation visits AfricaRice

 African Development Bank delegation visits AfricaRice



 to discuss implementation of Strategic Crops initiative




A high-level
delegation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) visited AfricaRice on 26
April to discuss on the progress made in the implementation of the “Support to
Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)”
initiative.



Launched in

Dévoiler le potentiel du riz sauvage Oryza barthii

Oryza barthii est l’une des deux
espèces de riz sauvage en Afrique à partager la même base de génome que les espèces
cultivées et O. glaberrima, en fait O. barthii est considérée par la plupart
comme l’espèce à partir de laquelle le riz africain (O. glaberrima) a été domestiqué.



À l’instar de son
descendant, il possède un certain nombre de caractéristiques qui le rendent
intéressant pour

Unlocking the potential of wild Oryza barthii

Oryza barthii is one of two
wild species in Africa to share the same basic genome as the cultivated species
(O. sativa and O. glaberrima), in fact O. barthii is considered
by most as the species from which African rice (O. glaberrima) was
domesticated.



Like its descendent, it has a
number of features that make it interesting to the canny breeder: it has long
panicles, diverse grain sizes,

Japanese Ambassador to Benin visits AfricaRice

A delegation from the Japanese Embassy in
Benin, led by the Ambassador, His Excellency Daini Tsukahara, visited AfricaRice
on 26 March 2013 to get an overview of the Center’s research activities. Japan
has historically been the most important donor of AfricaRice and has played a
significant role in its development.




Extending a warm welcome to the Ambassador,
AfricaRice Director General Dr

2013 AfricaRice Dr Robert Carsky Award

At the 33rd AfricaRice Board Meeting,  the 2013 AfricaRice Dr Robert Carsky Award was presented on 22 March to AfricaRice senior scientist Dr Francis E. Nwilene for his outstanding contribution to research and administration and to Ms Amoin Rose Nguessan, for her outstanding contribution to research support.

 

The annual award, which was instituted by AfricaRice in honor of the late Dr

Dr Seck elected as member of the prestigious African Academy of Sciences (AAS)

AfricaRice is delighted to announce that Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck has been elected as a member of the
prestigious African Academy of Sciences (AAS).



AAS
is an Africa-wide organization, which honors and recognizes scientists who have
made significant contribution to science in Africa and encourages the
development of the research and technology base throughout the continent.




Election
to

Reflections on Rice R4D in Africa

A new Blog by Dr Marco Wopereis, Deputy Director General, AfricaRice that presents his reflections on rice R4D in Africa.



Dr Wopereis first blog piece "Average rice yields in sub-Saharan Africa jump after the rice crisis" has been just published.



“We were pleased to learn that paddy rice production in SSA increased by 2.8 million tonnes from 2000 to 2007, and then accelerated,

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

Les femmes africaines dans la science rizicole : une lueur d’espoir

Son nom rime avec “espoir” et elle en est bien digne. Mme Espérance Zossou
est une jeune béninoise doctorante au Centre du riz pour l’Afrique (AfricaRice)
qui a à son actif de nombreux prix scientifiques dont celui du « Jeune chercheur
le plus prometteur » reçu lors du Congrès du riz en Afrique en 2010. Son
ambition est d’exceller dans le domaine de la recherche et de mettre son savoir
au

African women in rice science: A bright spot of hope

Her name means “hope” and she is certainly living up
to her name. Ms Espérance Zossou is a young PhD scholar from Benin at the
Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), who is the recipient of several science
awards, including that of the “Most Promising Young Scientist,” which she
received at the Africa Rice Congress in 2010. Her goal is to advance in her
field of research and place her knowledge at

Uprooting underground killers

Parasitic
weeds of the genus Striga—also known as witchweeds—are a major threat to upland
rice production in several parts of Africa. The roots of Striga seedlings
penetrate the root cells of host plants, among them, rice, and leave them weak
and unproductive. AfricaRice and its partners are making significant headway in
the struggle to control Striga in rice fields across the continent.

Éradication des tueurs souterrains

Les adventices parasites du genre Striga – aussi connues
sous le nom de l’herbe des sorciers– constituent une grave menace pour la
production de riz de plateau dans de nombreuses régions d’Afrique. Les racines
des plantules de la Striga pénètrent dans les cellules des racines des plantes
hôtes, dont, le riz, qui deviennent fragiles et non productives.



AfricaRice et ses partenaires

Congratulations to IFAD President

AfricaRice Director General Dr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck warmly congratulated  Dr. Kanayo F. Nwanze, former Director General of AfricaRice and the current President of IFAD on his reappointment to a second term at IFAD in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments.

Despite great challenges, IFAD witnessed tremendous improvement in its services during his first term, as it increased presence in

What do you want from your rice, madam?

What
makes a good rice eating experience? What makes a consumer choose any
particular variety over another? It seems to have something to do with where
you live and what you have access to. AfricaRice researchers and students have
been finding out just how diverse African taste for rice really is.



Yield
is only one characteristic of a crop variety. For farmers and consumers it is
not