Repackaging agricultural research for greater impact on agricultural growth in Africa

Despite the enormous research activities embarked upon by the various research entities in Africa over time, the expected research impacts remain obscure. This paper is a compilation of facts and figures from published peer reviewed articles, agricultural research and development reports from national and international institutions, and base-line data from the Africa Rice Centre aimed at elucidating the performance of agricultural research in Africa between 1960 and 2010. It discusses the constraints to the visible impact of agricultural research on the growth of Africa’s economy, and suggests how to repackage agricultural research for more visible impact on Africa’s economic growth. Results show that agricultural research has been beneficial for African agriculture widely and is believed to be the backbone of the economic growth of the continent. Agricultural research has also served as the bedrock of agricultural technological transformation to enhance agricultural growth. Research has helped to increase agricultural production and productivity and food security in several countries. Also, investment in agricultural research has yielded positive impact on poverty reduction and food security. However, food security and poverty are still visibly mining the African population. The major constraints in the utilization of agricultural research results are the lack of adequate public investment in agriculture, lack of well-trained researchers, inadequate research infrastructures and poor management of the agricultural research and development system. Findings show that in order to package agricultural research for visible impact on the economy, agricultural research systems would need to be adequately funded and handled by skilled human resources under good governance. An effective innovative agricultural policy would demand the initial acknowledgment that a break from the past is necessary to ‘produce more and better’ in Africa and that successful agricultural research systems should be designed in a framework of co-construction, co-execution and co-evaluation

L'approvisionnement de Dakar en legumes

National audienceL'article vise a rendre compte de la strategie de recherche de l'auteur sur l'approvisionnement de Dakar en legumes et a degager quelques points de reperes susceptibles d'aider a une meilleure comprehension des problemes qui se posent. De l'analyse il ressort: -d'une part l'ecart manifeste qui existe entre les representations qui president a l'elaboration de l'action des pouvoirs publics et les mecanismes qui regissent le fonctionnement reel du systeme, tant sur les marches concrets que dans les zones de production. -D'autre part une identification du role et du statut des agents economiques de la filiere maraichere qui va a l'encontre des critiques generalement adressees a ceux-ci. -Enfin une mise en relief des tensions resultant de la confrontation de la logique de l'offre et de la logique de demande en legumes, dans le temps

Les observatoires de filières comme dispositifs interprofessionnels

International audienc

Les observatoires de filières comme dispositifs interprofessionnels

International audienc

Price transmission analysis using threshold models: An application to local rice markets in Benin and Mali

In most African countries, spatial dispersion of production and consumption often results in high transaction costs that prevent farmers from accessing markets and causes asymmetry in price transmission. The objective of this study was to provide the baseline information on local rice price transmission between paired producer and consumer markets in Benin and Mali. To achieve this, we used Enders and Siklos’s threshold models on monthly price series from 2000 to 2010 to examine the nature of price transmission between selected markets in the surplus zones and the nearest important consumption markets. The results for Benin indicated that price transmission between markets in the surplus zone and the consumption markets was asymmetric, probably because of the prevalence of high transaction costs. These results showed that increases in price in the surplus-zone market were more quickly transmitted to the consumer market than decreases in price. Conversely, the results for Mali indicated symmetric price transmission between the market in the surplus zone and the consumer market, suggesting the prevalence of lower transaction costs. These results highlight the need for policies aiming to lower transaction costs observed in selected local rice markets in Benin. Specific policies, such as investment in public infrastructure, e.g. roads, could promote the vertical integration of local rice production with marketing. This would be crucial to achieving rice farmers’ food security and hence their wellbeing

Self-sufficiency policy and irrigated rice productivity in the Senegal River Valley

Senegal's high dependence on rice imports exposes the country to international market shocks with concomitant serious risks for food security. Since 2011 and triggered by high international prices, several initiatives to upgrade the rice value chain have emerged in the private sector. However, the major constraint private investors are currently facing is the insufficient supply of Senegal River Valley (SRV) paddy rice, implying that investment in productivity is becoming vital for the continuation of their operations, which are currently running below their optimum. The Senegalese government is investing heavily in the national rice sector, with the ambitious objective of achieving self-sufficiency in the year 2015. However, the program focuses primarily on extension of the area grown rather than increased productivity. We provide econometric support for policy making by assessing the determinants of productivity and technical efficiency in irrigated rice production systems through a five-year panel dataset of small-scale irrigated rice farms in the SRV. We found that due to the exacerbation of biological and institutional constraints in the SRV, rice growers had difficulties in maintaining productivity of their land. These constraints prevented them from further intensification, jeopardizing the national objective of self-sufficiency. Farmers exhibited modest technical efficiency levels, suggesting that, in addition to the proposed intensification strategies, substantial efforts in extension services will be required in order to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency. Improved weed and bird control as well as technological, organizational and institutional improvements were identified as key factors for boosting productivity and technical efficiency and, hence, these are target areas needing attention by Senegalese farmers and policy makers in their quest for increased food securit

Crops that feed the world 7: Rice

Fears about global food security led to a spike in food prices in 2008, social unrest and pushed a further 100 million people into poverty. Prices remain high and volatile. In this paper we take a closer look at rice, a crop that feeds billions of people in the world, and focus in particular on Asia and Africa. On both continents, rice is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions, from river deltas to mountainous regions. Irrigated systems dominate in Asia and rainfed systems in Africa. Predicted demands for rice remain strong. An additional 116 million tons of rice will be needed by 2035 to feed growing populations. In Africa, where rice is the most rapidly growing food source, about 30 million tons more rice will be needed by 2035, representing an increase of 130% in rice consumption from 2010. About one-third of this extra rice will be needed in Nigeria alone. In Asia, per capita consumption of rice may go down in some mid- and high-income countries. Rice farming will need to produce about 8–10 million tons more paddy per year over the next decade. Without area expansion this will require an annual yield increase of about 1.2–1.5%, equivalent to an average yield increase of 0.6 t ha−1 world-wide. Improving global food security will, therefore, necessitate concerted efforts to increase the productivity of rice per unit of land, water and/or labor in Asia and Africa, and the development of new land and water resources in a responsible and equitable manner to counteract losses due to urbanization and industrialization. During 2007–2011, productivity increases in Africa have been leading the way, with paddy rice production levels increasing by 9.5% per year, compared to 1.6% in Asia. Priorities for rice sector development include (i) continued and increased research efforts to close yield gaps and raise yield ceilings across rice growing environments through varietal development and improved rice production methods, and coping with climate change in both continents and (ii) strengthened and equitable public-private sector partnerships and conducive policy environments in Africa, with special emphasis on mechanization of rice farming from land preparation to harvest and rice processing practices

Propositions pour une optimisation des performancesde la riziculture en Afrique de l'Ouest

Le riz est devenu un élément majeur de la sécurité alimentaire et de la stabilité politique pour une majorité de pays africains, notamment en Afrique de l'Ouest. Cependant, malgré les efforts jusque-là engagés et malgré les volontés politiques exprimées, les productions locales ne parviennent toujours pas à couvrir les besoins alimentaires des populations dans cette partie du continent. Cet article vise à identifier les moyens d'accroître la production rizicole en Afrique de l'Ouest. Il donne une vision rétrospective de la riziculture dans cette région et propose des mesures politiques concrètes pour développer le secteur rizicole en Afrique de l'Ouest

Analysing policy-induced effects on the performance of irrigated rice

Improving local rice production capacity is a key element on the agenda of most countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). There are several reasons for this drive: (1) the high levels of rice imports, which constitute a burden on the countries' financial resources; (2) the relatively high contribution of the commodity to national food security programmes; (3) income generation for smallholder farm communities; and (4) the contribution of rice to the improvement of nutritional status. The policy analysis matrix approach was used to evaluate the policy-induced effects of the WAEMU common external tariffs on the performance of irrigated rice production systems in Niger. The results show that the irrigated rice production system receives little protection, and that retail rice marketing channels are even less protected. The negative net policy effects indicate that greater incentives are needed for enhanced system performance