In progress
4 years (2022 - 2026)
Food security
Rice cultivation
Climate resilience of communities
14 000 000 US$
Smallholder rice farmers
Private sector
Civil society
Scaling up climate-resilient rice production in West Africa - RICOWAS
West Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to a strong dependence on rainfed agriculture and limited economic and institutional capacities to cope with these impacts.
Rice, a staple crop, holds a central place and plays a decisive role in food security for both rural and urban populations. Yet, despite the Rice Offensive launched by the Economic Community of West African States, yields remain low, even with the existence of insufficiently disseminated and weakly adopted climate-resilient rice production techniques.
RICOWAS was designed with the ambition of introducing and scaling up an innovative approach to rice production, tailored to withstand the effects of climate change and to strengthen regional food security.
The project’s main objectives are to enhance climate resilience and increase the productivity of rice farming systems for smallholder farmers across West Africa, through the promotion and implementation of climate-resilient rice production approaches adapted to changing conditions.
In addition, the project seeks to strengthen the resilience and capacities of smallholder rice farmers, support the implementation and scaling up of Climate-Resilient Rice Production (CRRP), sustain a communication platform to foster effective knowledge sharing, and promote the creation of a coalition of partners at both national and regional levels.
- Adaptation Fund - AF
- West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development - CORAF
- Cornell University - USA
- Institut d'Economie Rurale - IER
- Training of 39 master trainers from 13 beneficiary countries.
- Large-scale deployment of resilient rice production techniques (SRI/CRRP).
- Training of over 1,000 national extension workers across 13 countries.
- Establishment of demonstration plots for farmers on SRI/CRRP, organic fertilizers, composting, and certified seed production.
- Strengthening of implementing entities through acquisition of technical equipment.
- Scientific and technical support from Cornell University and the Regional Center of Specialization in Rice.
- Establishment of nurseries and composting units.
- Creation of a Regional Technical Innovation Group (RTIG) to identify best practices tailored to diverse rice systems and climate zones.