Africa Rice Initiative [ARI Program]

Published on 28 April 2010

Research Areas

Crops

Countries

Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone

Timeline

Start Date: 1 January 2005 | End Date: 31 December 2010

Overview

The overall coordination of the project is carried out by the African Rice Initiative (ARI), which is hosted by AfricaRice. The objectives of the project are to help small-scale producers in the seven pilot countries to improve rice production and incomes through the dissemination of NERICA and other improved varieties and complementary technology. About 80% of the targeted beneficiaries of the project are the rural poor, mostly women. The project estimates that about 33,000 farm families will be involved in participatory variety selection (PVS) strategy to accelerate NERICA dissemination. About 400,000 ha of additional land is expected to be under NERICA cultivation by the 5th year of the project. The rice import bill of the seven countries is expected to reduce by about US$100 million.

Research Partners

• NARI - National Agricultural Research Institute
• NARS

Tags

improve, NERICA, small-scale