It is with this perspective that CORAF, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, through AICCRA, Africa Rice, and the World Bank Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), organized a regional workshop in Benin to discuss innovations and technologies capable of strengthening the resilience of rice systems in West and Central Africa.

Climate-smart technologies at the heart of the dicussion

Dr Elliot Dossou-Yovo, AICCRA Mali coordinator, presented to the participants, including country coordinators, rice specialists and agricultural advisors from the FSRP implementing countries, the various proven technologies available, emphasizing the need to create effective mechanisms for their large-scale adoption. Several climate-smart technologies and innovations, such as RiceAdvice, Smart-Valleys, alternative wetting and drying (AWD), the integrated rice-fish system, Pay as you go, climate-resilient rice varieties have been identified and have demonstrated their potential to optimize production while taking into account climate constraints. These innovations are crucial to improve the resilience of agricultural systems, increase productivity, and ensure food security for millions of people in the region.

“In the rice value chain, several technologies, innovations and research knowledge have been developed and deployed in the countries. It is urgent that these innovations be scaled up in order to reach and positively impact the final beneficiaries, namely family farms,” recalled Dr. Angelo Djihinto, representing the National Agricultural Research Institute of Benin at the opening of the workshop.

"The general awareness of climate change has led to the development of several climate-smart approaches and technologies, which unfortunately remain unknown to the general public, particularly in the agricultural sector. Their massive adoption is essential for the resilience of our food systems.” stressed Dr Komla Kyky Ganyo, CORAF FSRP Technical Assistant.

For Dr Alcade Segnon, researcher at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and scientific manager for AICCRA West Africa, “It is essential to disseminate these technologies on a large scale for the benefit of African producers.”

Funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the AICCRA project aims to promote the adoption and use of climate-smart agriculture technologies and innovations as well as climate information services. In West Africa, the objective is to ensure the scaling up of these technologies and innovations by relying on multi-stakeholder partnerships. The Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) funded by the World Bank and implemented in nine countries is considered an ideal channel for this large-scale dissemination of technologies in the rice value chain. This workshop aims to inform FSRP stakeholders about these available technologies and to define actions for their adoption in the West Africa. 

Experts united for a common strategy

This workshop was an opportunity for participants to share their knowledge and experiences on the technologies already implemented in their countries and the various constraints for their adoption. At the end of the presentations, participants identified key activities, recommendations for FSRP implementing countries and the best strategies to disseminate these technologies to farmers, with a particular focus on family farms which represent a large share of rice production in the region.

"The Smart-Valley technology interested us a lot because it requires the mobilization of the entire community, especially women. Back in Mali, we will raise awareness among more stakeholders in order to be able to implement this innovation in Mali," said Sory Ibrahim Konaté of the FSRP Mali team.

Furthermore, the workshop produced a clear roadmap for the use and scaling up of climate-smart technologies in the rice value chain. This roadmap includes concrete actions to strengthen the adoption of technologies in FSRP implementing countries.