Africa consumes a total of 11.6 million tonnes of milled rice yearly. About 8.3 million of this farm produce is gotten locally while 3.3 million tonnes are imported. The partnership was spurred by the inability of Africa to become self-sufficient in rice production and concurrent demand grew at 6% yearly.

IRRI was founded in 1960 to combat hunger and improve the health of rice farmers and consumers. It also provides advanced rice research and gives lasting solutions to challenges.

IRRI will leverage AATF’s technological expertise and reach 23 Africa countries to deliver innovation to African farmers. It will accelerate the distribution of high-yielding rice varieties, good agro-practices, digital technologies, farm mechanization, crop care, etc. It will create awareness for rice farmers and also promote food security in the African agro-economy.

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Both bodies will meet regularly to develop joint projects for rice production and the seed industry. AATF’s network would expand by joining other Agri-organization like Hybrid Rice Development Consortium (HRDC) and Direct Seeded Rice Consortium (DSRC). On the other hand, IRRI will become a member of the AATF-led Alliance for Hybrid Rice in Africa (AHyRA).

African Agricultural Technology Foundation Rice Project Manager, Kayode Sanni expressed his satisfaction on the partnership with IRRI. He noted that Rice is an important staple food for Africans. Thus, the need to upgrade the continent’s technologies and rice cultivation is key.

IRRI’s Head of Tech Transfer, Remy Bitoun also described the partnership as a good way to accelerate the distribution of better rice varieties and good agronomic practices. It will improve food security and the economic sustainability of rice-based agri-food systems.

Before the partnership with AATF, IRRI had made significant strides in uplifting the productivity and livelihoods of farmers in Asia.

The post AATF partners IRRI to Scale Hybrid Rice Production in Africa appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

Photo Credit: guardian.ng

Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century, GCP21 Director, Dr. Claude Fauquet has advised African farmers to double the continent’s cassava production in order to avert major food crisis by 2050.

Fauquet described the low root yields of cassava in Africa as improper and urged member nations to adequately invest in the crop to change the current yield per hectare, maintaining that a do-nothing approach would hurt Africa, as it would have to contend with more people to feed, and changes in climate that would become more unpredictable.

He stated this at a world press conference held in Lagos said though Africa accounts for 55 per cent of global cassava root production, its yield per hectare is the lowest in the world with about 10 tons per hectare as opposed to Asia where average yield is 21 tons per hectare—or double the yield in Africa.

Fauquet stressed that to reverse the current trajectory would request for deliberate actions, including greater investment in research and innovation, provisions of a favourable policy framework, accessibility of loans to farmers at single digit rates, and mechanisation across the value chain.

According to him, Africa needs to scale out proven technologies, including the recommendations on weed control being developed by the Cassava Weed Management Project, improved cassava varieties, and best-bet agronomic practices such as appropriate fertilizer application.

“If we do these, then to double cassava yield will not be a dream but a possibility,” he said.

Fauquet said while technologies are available to transform cassava, not many policy makers were aware of such technologies, adding that the forthcoming Global Conference on Cassava in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, scheduled for June 11-15, 2018 with the theme “Cassava Transformation in Africa” was a unique opportunity that would create an environment for exchange of technical, scientific, agricultural, industrial and economic information about cassava among strategic stakeholders like scientists, farmers, processors, end-users, researchers, the private sector, and donor agencies.

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The post GCP21 Wants Africa to Double Cassava Production to Prevent Food Crisis by 2050 appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.