Enhance the quality and marketability of locally-produced rice through improved harvest and postharvest technologies

19 June 2011. A pioneering project to enhance the quality and marketability of locally-produced rice through improved harvest and postharvest technologies in eight pilot countries of West and East Africa has just been launched by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice).

Describing the project as “one of the first-of-its-kind for rice in SSA,” AfricaRice economist Dr. Aliou Diagne stated that improved processing practices and technologies could significantly increase overall rice production by reducing losses. “The reduction of postharvest losses of 10% will help increase farmers’ nominal annual income by about USD32 million in the eight pilot countries by 2020.” 

The 5-year project is aligned to the common goal of AfricaRice and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which supports it. Both seek to increase food security and improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa through targeted research, policy and training. AfricaRice is a member of the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers.

In addition to AfricaRice, the project partners include national programs from the eight pilot countries (Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda) and the Canada-based McGill University. Through the strong continent-wide linkages of AfricaRice, the results of the project will be disseminated beyond the pilot countries.

Videos :
Interview with Professor Ngadi Michael, Bioresource Engineering, MC Gill University, Canada


Interview with Dr Paa-Nii Johnson, Director, CSIR-Food Research Institute, Accra, Ghana

Interview with Madam Coulibaly Salimata Sidibe, Scientist, Institut d’Economie Rurale du Mali, Bamako Mali


Photos : Scenes from the workshop

Project website : http://www.africarice.org/srria/