Maclean et al. - 2002 - Rice almanac source book for the most important e

evaluate prototype technologies for sustainable
production systems in different agroecological
and socioeconomic situations.
Other mechanisms
As partners in national systems of rice-growing
countries undertake more and more of the needed
strategic and applied research, IRRI is shifting its
agenda to conduct more anticipatory research in
new partnerships. These include
• shuttle research in which IRRI and another
institution exchange scientists to undertake
specific phases of a project, for example,
the IRRI-Japan Shuttle Project, which
focuses on biotechnology, pathosystems,
physiology of rice and yield, microbiology,
and social science, maximizes the use of
scientific research in Japan, and gives
Japanese scientists exposure to tropical
rice;
• bilateral collaboration with stronger
national institutions in which IRRI and
collaborating institutions agree on a joint
work plan for specific activities of mutual
benefit; bilateral work plan meetings
between IRRI and such national
institutions are held biennially for this
purpose; and
• special projects to strengthen less
developed national institutions, in which
IRRI provides support in four major
themes—rice research strategy and
associated work plans, productivity and
quality of research implementation,
national research linkages to extension and
farmers, and international linkages among
national and international research
institutions.
West Africa Rice Development
Association (WARDA)
Mandate and structure
WARDA is an autonomous intergovernmental
research association of 17 countries in West and
Central Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, and Togo. WARDA was founded in 1970.
Since 1986, WARDA has also been a member of
the CGIAR. WARDA’s mission is “to contribute
to food security and poverty alleviation in poor
rural and urban populations, particularly in West
and Central Africa, through research, partnerships,
capacity strengthening, and policy support
on rice-based systems, and in ways that promote
sustainable agricultural development based on
environmentally sound management of natural
resources.”
Rice is a unique and highly political commodity
in Africa. Because of its ease of preparation,
low preparation costs, low price, and steady
supplies (through imports), rice consumption is
increasing rapidly, providing food security for
Africa’s poor. Because of its large genetic diversity,
it tolerates extreme soil and weather
conditions, allowing farmers to produce food in
adverse environments. Rice is also an integrating
crop. Rice development often acts as an entry
point for the development of the agricultural sector
as a whole by enhancing household food security,
reducing production risk, enhancing income,
and averting natural resource degradation.
WARDA will therefore seek to contribute to poverty
alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa through
integrated sustainable development of the rice
sector, particularly through technology development.
WARDA’s ultimate beneficiaries are rice
producers and consumers in West and Central
Africa. WARDA’s more immediate beneficiaries
are its research and development collaborators,
such as national agricultural research and extension
systems and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs).
Research areas and strategy
Africa’s land resources are typically poor and
fragile. In the rainfed uplands, shortened fallow
periods and slash-and-burn agriculture lead to a
general decline in land quality through erosion
and soil-fertility mining. The increase in population
pressure, limited capital, poor market access,
and labor shortage aggravate the situation,
resulting in low and unstable rice yields. In the
rainfed lowlands, poor water control and
infestation by weeds, pests, and diseases (e.g.,
blast, rice yellow mottle virus, African rice gall
midge) are major constraints, in addition to
population pressure, limited capital and
investment, land-tenure issues, and lack of
mechanization. In the irrigated systems, the main
constraints are related to input access, limited
mechanization, and knowledge on best-bet crop
and natural resource management practices.
WARDA’s research focuses on three main rice
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