Thematic Innovations
AfricaRice and its partners have paid considerable attention to climate change and its effects on the rice sector in Africa. Our research focuses on the development of climate-smart rice varieties, models, and practices to overcome the direct effects of climate change in order to boost rice productivity and ensure sustainable rice production in Africa.
Transformative Breeding for Accelerated Adoption
Revitalizing the further development and adoption of improved rice varieties targeted to changing climate and meeting consumer preferences is crucial. AfricaRice is pursuing a "transformative" breeding strategy to develop superior varieties and germplasm based on rigorous, evidence-based improvements, enabling stakeholders in the rice value chain to seize better business opportunities.
Massive Scaling of Smart-Valleys in Africa
The Smart-Valleys approach of AfricaRice is a participatory and community-driven approach that enhances rice productivity input accessibility, and market linkages due to larger community-based input-output volumes. Our Smart-Valleys approach results in doubling rice yields from 2.0 to 4.0 t/ha at a cost of $700/ha, generating equivalent returns.
Nutri-Rice for Better Diets and Nutrition
AfricaRice pursues a systems-driven innovation that re-engineers this staple crop into a functional food that delivers essential micronutrients—iron, zinc, calcium, folate, and vitamins A and B, while lowering its glycemic index. This addresses the dual challenge of undernutrition and metabolic disease.
Rice Policy and Capacitation
Most countries are engaged in the second generation of their national rice development strategy. AfricaRice can accelerate those strategies to mainly reduce competition between domestic and imported rice, as well as increase production through area expansion and yield growth through capacitation, policies, and enabling investment opportunities.