Contribution of improved rice varieties to poverty reduction and food security in sub-Saharan Africa

Arouna, Aminou; Lokossou, Jourdain; Wopereis, M.C.S.; Bruce-Oliver, Samuel; Roy-Macauley, Harold

doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2017.03.001

Cited by 83 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Many studies have shown the wide adaptation of NERICA varieties and their impact on farmers' livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa (e.g. Arouna et al, 2017;Kijima et al, 2008Kijima et al, , 2011Yokouchi & Saito, 2016, 2017. Diagne et al (2015) reported rice area planted to NERICA varieties at national level in 13 countries.…”

Section: Sub-saharan Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent breeding progress in upland rice in the tropics has replaced traditional upland rice varieties characterized by low yield, tall plants, and few tillers by improved varieties; in West Africa, the traditional varieties are often tropical japonica (Oryza sativa) or Oryza glaberrima, which is highly weed competitive, and resistant to local biotic and abiotic stresses (Arouna et al, 2017;Atlin et al, 2006;Futakuchi et al, 2012;Pinheiro et al, 2006;Saito & Futakuchi, 2009). However, few reports have provided an overview of progress in genetic improvement and yield gains observed for upland rice in the tropics (Gupta & O'Toole, 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Progress in varietal improvement for increasing upland rice productivity in the tropics

Saito

Asai

Zhao

et al. 2018

Plant Production Science

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Enhancing rice yield in upland rice systems through genetic improvement remains a major challenge in the tropics. This review aims to provide the trends on upland rice cultivation over the last 30 years and recent distribution of upland rice in the tropics, and to report progress in studies on genetic improvement for enhancing productivity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. While upland rice cultivation area has reduced in Asia and Latin America over the last 30 years, the area in Africa has increased. The current share of upland rice area in total rice area is related to rainfall and gross national income per capita, especially in Africa, and higher share is associated with lower rice selfsufficiency at national level. Breeding programs in Asia and Latin America have developed highyielding varieties using indica materials as parents. In Africa, New Rice for Africa (NERICA) varieties were developed from crosses between improved tropical japonica and Oryza glaberrima. However, recent studies report that there is scope for improving existing NERICA using upland indica materials from Asia. In highlands of Africa, there are ongoing breeding programs using japonica varieties, such as the Nepalese Chhomrong Dhan. Key important plant traits used in the breeding programs are not largely different across regions, especially intermediate plant height and tillering capacity (which may be related to weed-suppressive ability), and high harvest index. In conclusion, we propose an international network for breeding upland rice with accelerating seed exchange across regions that could enhance upland rice productivity through genetic improvement.

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Section: Sub-saharan Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress in varietal improvement for increasing upland rice productivity in the tropics

Saito

Asai

Zhao

et al. 2018

Plant Production Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The adoption of improved technologies notably improved rice varieties to boost food production, and rice self-sufficiency is increasingly becoming a crucial element in the formulation of food security strategic policies of many Sub Saharan African countries [1,2]. This is seen in the importance rice holds as an economical food [3,4], essential staple, and significant source of food energy for a population of more than 750 million in Sub Saharan Africa [5][6][7], and Sierra Leone is not an exception [8]. However, it is critical to produce enough rice required to feed the rapidly growing population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, significant quantities of rice are imported to meet the demands at a considerable cost in foreign currency in Sub Saharan Africa [5,9]. A study in 2014 indicated that the rice consumption and production levels in Sub Saharan Africa were, respectively, 26 million tons and 14.4 million tons of milled rice, which means that about 46% (equal to 11.9 million tons and more than 5.9 billion dollars' worth) of the domestic requirements in Sub Saharan Africa was imported [5]. To date, the problem of rice self-sufficiency continues and will continue until there are effective measures to encourage the production of more rice to prevent the over-reliance on rice importation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Land Ownership and Agro-Ecological Location of Farmland Influence Adoption of Improved Rice Varieties? Evidence from Sierra Leone

2019

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This study investigates the impact of farmland ownership and agro-ecological location on the adoption of the two most important sources of improved rice varieties (NERICA and ROK) in the context of Sierra Leone. In terms of farmland ownership, the results showed that farmers who cultivated their own land had a higher tendency of remaining as non-adopters of improved varieties, but those who rented farmland or were engaged in sharecropping had higher adoption rates of improved rice varieties. Also, the location of farmland (uplands or inland valley swamps) determined the rates of adoption of improved varieties differently. For instance, upland regions showed faster adoption of ROK varieties, but inland valley areas showed faster adoption of NERICA varieties. We also examined the survival rates of local rice varieties. The adoption of improved varieties was only occurring at a very low rate, and the farmers' adoption of ROK varieties was swifter than for NERICA varieties. This study recommends that policies advocating the adoption of improved rice varieties in Sierra Leone must take into consideration the patterns of farmland ownership and location.

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“…Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is prevalent in rural areas, where 70% of the poor live (Arouna et al 2017). Current estimates indicate the rural population will continue to outnumber the urban population (Østby 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household-oriented benefits largely outweigh commercial benefits derived from cattle in Mabalane District, Mozambique

et al. 2018

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In Sub-Saharan Africa, research aimed at improving household livelihoods through cattle often targets commercial benefits while neglecting household-oriented benefits. The latter are rarely articulated, and their comprehensive role in livelihoods is little understood by policymakers. The main aim of this study was to assess household-oriented benefits of cattle as a basis for formulating appropriate policies. Data were collected from 192 households selected through multistage random sampling in Mabalane District of Mozambique in 2009. The main objectives of cattle raising were identified and ranked in order of importance by using the analytical hierarchy procedure. The vast majority (98%) of households kept cattle primarily to derive various types of household-oriented benefits such as draft power, financing, insurance, saving, social status and bridewealth. Only 2% of households kept cattle mainly for commercial benefits. The households secured financing, insurance and saving primarily by capital accumulation through herd expansion, for example after a good crop harvest, using the profit to purchase a young calf, an ox or a heifer. Households reporting social prestige as an important objective for raising cattle were mainly those already with high social status. In Mabalane District, a large herd of cattle is considered evidence of one’s ability to manage communally owned resources. This suggests that the functions of draft power, financing, insurance and saving play important roles in the livelihoods of most of agro-pastoral households in Mozambique—arguably more important than meat and milk. The reliance on financing, insurance and saving benefits of cattle, as well as the low level of milk and meat marketing, could be explained by the low level of development within the district, exacerbated by the civil war that ended in the 1990s.

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Contribution of improved rice varieties to poverty reduction and food security in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 83 publications

References 26 publications

Progress in varietal improvement for increasing upland rice productivity in the tropics

Progress in varietal improvement for increasing upland rice productivity in the tropics

Do Land Ownership and Agro-Ecological Location of Farmland Influence Adoption of Improved Rice Varieties? Evidence from Sierra Leone

Household-oriented benefits largely outweigh commercial benefits derived from cattle in Mabalane District, Mozambique

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