Exploring opportunities for diversification of smallholders' rice-based farming systems in the Senegal River Valley

CONTEXT: Policy-based or technological interventions are more likely to be effective if aligned with farmers' objectives, constraints, and decision-making processes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore trade-offs and synergies of farming systems in response to innovative rice cultivation activities by understanding current farming systems, main drivers impacting farm management and farmers' perspectives on rice intensification. Understanding these interrelations is key in rice production areas, where smallholder farmers largely depend on growing rice to subsist. METHODS: A rapid system analysis was conducted interviewing 20 farmers in 4 villages along the Senegal River Valley (SRV) to obtain a general view on farm functioning and farmers' perspectives on farming systems. A detailed system analysis with four farmers was subsequently conducted to provide an insight into the underlying processes regulating farm management. A multi-objective optimization model was used to quantitatively evaluate and explore farm performances based on four selected indicators representing: rice production, household agricultural profit, household labour and farm nutrient balance. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that government programmes and farmers' Unions were strongly influencing farmers' decision-making in agricultural production. Farmers also reported that although rice was still essential for their livelihoods, there were transitions towards less rice production in the wet season with short duration rice varieties and more vegetable production. Both farmers' interviews and the modelling results suggested that farmers would be unlikely to increase or even maintain the area of rice double cropping, which has been strongly promoted by the Senegalese government. Instead, farmers would rather keep investing in vegetable production. SIGNIFICANCE: This modelling study shows the consequences of policy-based and technological interventions for farming systems and may inform both policy makers and farmers in situations where objectives are strongly divergent. Hence, modelling outcomes may be used to inspire discussion and innovation in order to align the government priority of ensuring national food security and farmers' objectives and constraints in the SRV

Adoption and impact of an award winning post-harvest technology: The ASI rice thresher in the Senegal River Valley

In Senegal, one of the highest rice import-dependent countries in Sub-Saharian Africa, double cropping is recommended in the new national program for the Great Offensive for Food and Abundance (GOANA) to boost rice production. This target impels the respect of cropping calendar by using improved technologies like the ASI thresher-cleaner. The causal or treatment effect framework (ATE and LATE) is used to estimate the ASI adoption rate and impact. The results show that the true ASI adoption rate would be 86 % if all the population of irrigated rice farmers were exposed to it. The socioeconomic characteristics that increase the probability to adopt the ASI thresher are farmer experience, farm size, and participation to ASI field experiments and/or contact with service providers, and lag between ASI invention (1997) and first awareness. Indeed, irrigated rice farmers who recently become aware of the ASI thresher represent a highly potential group of adopters. The results show, as well, that the ASI thresher adoption could help irrigated rice farmers to cope with labour scarcity by decreasing significantly the number of workers needed. The labour-gain would be 22 man-days per hectare in the subpopulation of potential adopters

Consumer willingness to pay for rice fragrance: Evidence from Senegal

In response to increasing urban consumer demand for fragrant rice, rice breeders have developed local, fragrant rice varieties in Senegal. We assess the drivers of demand for rice fragrance by eliciting urban consumers’ willingness to upgrade non-fragrant to fragrant rice and willingness to pay (WTP) for domestic versus imported fragrant rice. We conducted experimental auctions with 120 urban consumers in Dakar and analyzed WTP for rice fragrance through a double hurdle model. The results indicate that variables such as ethnicity, household size, and awareness of fragrance and local fragrant rice significantly affect consumers’ willingness to upgrade non-fragrant to fragrant rice. Urban consumers with positive buying intentions towards domestic fragrant rice are very likely to buy it and pay price premiums of 64 FCFA/kg. However local fragrant rice is slightly discounted compared to imported fragrant Thai Hom Mali rice. Our findings suggest that there is an important market for domestic fragrant rice in Dakar and that local rice is competitive with imported rice on that urban market

Estimating Bird Damage to Rice in Africa : Evidence from the Senegal River Valley

Granivorous birds, mainly the Red-billed Quelea, have subsisted on cereal crops in Africa for centuries and have caused substantial damage. There is, however, limited recent evidence on their impact. We propose an indirect method to estimate bird-inflicted crop losses by fitting a production function with a damage abatement component and pest intensity slope dummies on a panel database of rice farmers in the Senegal River Valley. This allows us to estimate both bird damage and marginal productivity of bird control at different levels of bird pressure. Annual bird damage is found to average around 13.2% of the potential rice production during the wet seasons of 2003-2007, which translates into an average annual economic loss of 4.7 billion FCFA (€7.1 million). Our results are consistent with farmers' perceived bird-inflicted crop losses, averaging 15.2%. More alarmingly, we observe declining marginal productivities of bird control under increasing bird pressure. Farmers indicate that at high bird pressure, the efficacy of traditional bird scaring methods is inadequate, which suggests that predictive (monitoring), preventive (population control) and protective (insurance) measures against massive invasions are more urgent than improving the average efficacy of curative measures (pest control). These findings are especially relevant to farmers and policy-makers who are currently struggling to implement an ambitious food self-sufficiency programme in Senegal

Estimated versus perceived damage control productivity: Impact of birds on irrigated rice in the Senegal River Valley

status: publishe

What is the value of rice fragrance? Consumer evidence from Senegal

Urban demand for fragrant rice is increasing rapidly in Senegal, but little is known about the value of rice fragrance and the drivers of its demand. We conducted experimental auctions in Dakar to elicit urban consumers’ willingness to upgrade from non-fragrant to fragrant rice and their willingness to pay for domestic versus imported fragrant rice, and assessed the drivers of demand for rice fragrance through a double-hurdle model. The average value of rice fragrance is estimated to be around US$ 0.12 kg-1, as suggested by the 20% price premiums consumers are willing to pay on top of the price of non-fragrant rice. These price premiums further increase to 35% for consumers who express positive buying intentions towards domestic fragrant rice. The value of rice fragrance is found to be driven by factors such as ethnicity, household size, and awareness of fragrance and local fragrant rice

Agricultural trade for food security in Africa: A Ricardian model approach

Regionalism and food security is a relatively neglected topic with very limited literature. We use a Ricardian trade model with multiple goods and countries which embeds a structure of gravity equation and yield variability. Our study shows that integration with African markets of staple foods is associated with higher growth, underpinning the need for growth strategies to emphasize scaling up and diversifying exports within Africa. Africa needs to unlock its high potential untapped land and fill up the yield gap. We found as well that enhanced competitiveness and reduced barriers to trade are the two critical areas of action

Estimating Bird Damage to Rice in Africa: Evidence from the Senegal River Valley

Granivorous birds, mainly the Red-billed Quelea, have subsisted on cereal crops in Africa for centuries and have caused substantial damage. There is, however, limited recent evidence on their impact. We propose an indirect method to estimate bird-inflicted crop losses by fitting a production function with a damage abatement component and pest intensity slope dummies on a panel database of rice farmers in the Senegal River Valley. This allows us to estimate both bird damage and marginal productivity of bird control at different levels of bird pressure. Annual bird damage is found to average around 13.2% of the potential rice production during the wet seasons of 2003–2007, which translates into an average annual economic loss of 4.7 billion FCFA (€7.1 million). Our results are consistent with farmers’ perceived bird-inflicted crop losses, averaging 15.2%. More alarmingly, we observe declining marginal productivities of bird control under increasing bird pressure. Farmers indicate that at high bird pressure, the efficacy of traditional bird scaring methods is inadequate, which suggests that predictive (monitoring), preventive (population control) and protective (insurance) measures against massive invasions are more urgent than improving the average efficacy of curative measures (pest control). These findings are especially relevant to farmers and policy-makers who are currently struggling to implement an ambitious food self-sufficiency programme in Senegal.status: publishe