In this opinion editorial for IRRI’s 65th Anniversary, IRRI Regional Director for Africa Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail and IRRI Country Representative for Uganda and Gender and Livelihoods Research Leader Dr. Jummai Yila explain that sub-Saharan Africa is capable of being rice self-sufficient, but it necessitates continued partnerships with both public and private sectors, a bold and targeted policy reform, and investment at multiple levels of the rice value chain, and most importantly, securing social equity.
17 April 2025 – Rice production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has grown by ten times since the 1960s, but consumption has also increased exponentially. This was mainly driven by urbanization, population growth, and changes in dietary preferences, causing demand to overtake the regional production capacity. Consequently, one of the region’s major challenges remains to meet such growing demands while securing smallholder farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring climate resilience.
Now, the question is: Can sub-Saharan Africa meet the growing demand for rice in the region?
IRRI Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, answers yes. “The region is capable of being rice self-sufficient and further being a net exporter.” Dr. Ismail explained that SSA has enough resources to be self-sufficient but is hindered by poor investment in research, training, and infrastructure from national programs. Smallholder farmers still use old varieties, traditional cultural practices, and lack access to mechanization, quality seeds, and agrochemicals, which leads to lower productivity and lower returns. “Agricultural policies and guidelines also need to be modernized to accelerate progress, empower farmers, and facilitate commercialization and private sector partnerships.”
IRRI, through several projects such as the Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) Green Super Rice (GSR), and more recently through ongoing projects like AGRRI 2 and several CGIAR programs, has helped release over 50 climate-resilient varieties, developed seed production and scaling models, and management innovations that substantially increased productivity in SSA.
Examples are in Burundi, where national productivity increased by 2 t/ha, and in Kenya, where yields have doubled over the last few years. With the development of drought, salt, and flood-tolerant varieties, resilient rice varieties are becoming available, allowing expansion in marginal lands that were either not being used before or were left barren because of worsening climate and soil conditions. IRRI and its partners have helped smallholder farmers significantly increase food production and farmers’ income in several countries.
The issue of self-sufficiency is also a question of social equity. “Achieving rice self-sufficiency in sub-Saharan Africa necessitates a dual focus on food security and social equity, moving beyond simple income metrics.”, explained IRRI Country Representative for Uganda and Gender and Livelihoods Research Leader Dr. Jummai Yila. A systemic, multi-pronged intervention is required to address existing barriers and empower marginalized populations, ensuring equitable distribution of benefits derived from enhanced rice production. Dr. Yila identified key intervention areas:
Land Tenure and Access: Implement policy reforms to guarantee secure land tenure for smallholders, particularly women and marginalized groups, addressing discriminatory customary practices. Promote equitable land distribution to reduce concentration and improve access for land-poor households. Invest in community-managed irrigation that is accessible to all farmers.
Inputs and Technology: Subsidize essential inputs (seeds, fertilizers) targeting vulnerable groups. Develop and disseminate appropriate, labor-saving, climate-smart technologies. Strengthen agricultural extension services to enhance farmer knowledge and skills, ensuring accessibility for remote populations.
Finance and Markets: Expand microfinance access for smallholders, focusing on women and less privileged communities. Improve market access via rural infrastructure investments, farmer organization support, and enhanced market information systems. Ensure fair pricing through transparent, competitive markets.
Empowerment and Participation: Support farmer organizations to enhance collective bargaining power. Prioritize women’s empowerment through equitable access to resources and targeted training. To ensure sector sustainability, engage youth through education, training, entrepreneurial, and employment opportunities.
Policy and Governance: Develop inclusive, equitable rice policies considering all stakeholders. Promote good governance and transparency to reduce corruption and improve resource utilization. Implement monitoring and evaluation systems to track social equity impacts and ensure accountability.
IRRI operates with these objectives at the core of its program to support a sustainable rice self-sufficient SSA and, by extension, the whole African continent. In collaboration with CGIAR institutions such as AfricaRice and hundreds of NARES, IRRI has provided significant support through breeding, knowledge sharing, and capacity building.
