Thegrainhasthepotentialtocreateemployment,raiseincomesandboostfoodsecurity
ByBusaniBafana
RicefarmingisinBedariSissou’sblood.The22-year-oldfromBodjekaliVillageinMalanvilleDistrict,750kmnorthofBenin’sadministrativecapitalCotonou,wasbornintoaricefarmingfamily.Aftercompletinghisschooling,whenhispeersheadedofftothecitytolookforwork,hedecidedtoremainbehindandfollowinthefamilybusiness.
“IusedtohelpmyfamilywhenIwasyoung,”Sissousaid.“Theysetasidehalfahectareformeandsincethen,Imadeupmymindtobeafarmer.”Theyoungfarmerseesmanyopportunitiesinhisvillagebecausehisriceyieldisrising.“Iwasabletobuyabikeafterwesoldourrice[lastseason].Iwanttobeoneofthebestricefarmersinthecountry,”hesaid.
Rice-cultivatedformorethan3,000yearsinpartsofAfrica-isfastbecomingastapleonmuchofthecontinent.Itiseasytoprepare,nutritiousandmakesarelativelyaffordablemeal.Andthankstoscientificresearch,improvedvarietieshaveboostedproduction,makingriceanimportantcashcropformorethan35millionsmallholdersonthecontinent.
Witha6-percentannualriseinriceconsumptioninAfrica,itisgoodnewsforacontinentexperiencingeconomicgrowthbutchallengedbyunemployment,especiallyforitsboomingandyouthfulpopulation,likeSissou.TheaverageageofAfrica’s1.2billionpeopleis24orlower.
TheAfricaRiceCenter(AfricaRice),aleadingpan-Africanresearchorganizationcreatedin1971tocontributetopovertyalleviationandfoodsecurity,saysthericesectorhasthepotentialtoemploymanyofthe17millionyoungpeople,dubbed“youthdividends,”whoentertheSub-SaharanAfricajobmarketaloneeachyear.
Demandandsupply
MarcoWopereis,AfricaRiceDeputyDirectorGeneralandDirectorofResearchforDevelopment,saidhisorganizationisworkingwithpolicymakerstoperfectthericedevelopmentstrategyandhelpAfricaachievealmost90percentself-sufficiencyinriceby2020.Thiscouldhelpatleast11millionpeople,includingricefarmersandprocessors,riseabovetheinternationalpovertyline.Peoplelivingonlessthan$1.9adayareregardedaslivingbelowthepovertyline.
Africaisconsumingmorericethantheover14milliontonsitproduces.Itmakesuptheshortfallsthroughimports,whichcostmorethan$5billioneachyear,adevelopmentofconcern.
“Wewillbewastingresourcesifwedonotclosethewideninggapbetweendemandandsupplythatisnowfilledbyimports.InvestinginthericesectorinsteadofsendingmoneyabroadwillcreatejobsfortheyouthinAfrica,”saidWopereis.“Butclimatechangeisabigissueforfarmersandwehavetoaddressthat.”
AfricaRicebelievesthattheincreasingroleofriceinthefoodbasketofAfricanconsumershasmadeitapoliticalcrop-capableofcreatingordestroyingthepolitical,socialandeconomicstabilityofAfricannations.The2008foodcrisis,whichledtoincreasednationalandmulti-sectoralinvestmentinricedevelopmentinmanyAfricancountries,isacaseinpoint.
Wopereissaidriceyieldsrosebetween2007and2012partiallyduetotheroll-outofresearchtechnologies(resultinginbetterricevarieties)andbettermanagementpractices(likefertilizerapplication),andbecauseofgovernmentsupportafterthefoodcrisis.Africaneedsaclearinvestmentplanfrompublicandprivatesectorplayerstoboostthericesector,hesaid.
Biggeryields,morejobs
ResearchbyAfricaRiceshowstheadoptionofNewRiceforAfrica,ahybridvariety,helpedfarmersincreasetheiryieldsby319kgperhectareandsubsequently,liftedmorethan8millionpeopleoutofpovertyin16countriesin2013.
Amajorboostforricedevelopmenthasbeentheintroductionandpromotionofinnovationplatforms(IPs).IPsaremulti-stakeholderprocessesbringingtogethervaluechainactorswiththeaimofboostinginformationandknowledgesharingtoenhancetheadoptionoftechnologicalsolutionsandinstitutionalchange.
AfricaRiceintroducedtheIPsundertheSupporttoAgriculturalResearchforDevelopmentofStrategicCropsinAfricaprojectfundedbytheAfricanDevelopmentBank.TwoIPs,establishedinGlazouéandMalanvilledistricts,haveempoweredabout1,000women-runhouseholds.
“TheIPsarepromotingvalueadditionoflocalrice,whichprovidesjobsforouryoungpeople.Thepreferenceforimportedrice[took]awayopportunitiesforyouthstobeemployedinriceproduction,somethingtheIPsarechanging,”saidDandakoeInoussa,MayorofMalanville.“Peoplearejobless,butwhenwehaveourlocalrice,peopleareoccupiedandcanshowyouwheretheyareworkingandwheretheyarelivingandyouwillobservetheir[rising]standardoflivingandfromthere,theygaindignity.”
Throughinnovationandinvestmentinthericevaluechain,researchersareseekingatriplewinofmorerice,morejobsandmoreincomeforAfricanfarmers,saidSidiSanyang,leaderoftheRiceSectorDevelopmentProgramatAfricaRice.
Addressingfoodshortage
Byimplementingacocktailofmeasures-suchasprovidingaccesstoland,credit,qualityinputsandfarmequipment-toattractitsyouthfulpopulationtotheagriculturesector,Africacansolveitsdoublechallengesofchronicfoodshortagesandunemployment.
AccordingtotheAfricaAgricultureStatusReport2015:YouthinAgricultureinSub-SaharanAfrica,developedbytheAllianceforaGreenRevolutioninAfrica(AGRA),thecontinent’sunder25saccountforabout65percentoftheAfricanpopulation.
“Acontinentwithsuchvastholdingsofarablelandandalargeandincreasinglyeducatedyoungworkforceshouldbetheenvyoftheworld,”saidAGRAPresidentAgnesKalibataatthelaunchofthereportinZambiainNovember.“Instead,mostAfricans-including,ironically,millionsofourfarmers-arerelyingonimportstofeedtheirfamilies.Andourgrowingpopulationofyoungpeople,whoshouldbeatreasuredresourceforeconomicgrowth,areoftenlabeleda‘tickingtimebomb’forfeartheirlackofjobprospectswillgenerateinstability.”
AccordingtotheWorldBank,risingincomesinAfrica’srapidlyexpandingurbanareasaregeneratingaconsumerfoodmarketthatwillbeworth$1trillionby2030.Itsdemandscouldbemetbyfarmsandrelatedagriculturebusiness.
Thegrowingtrendinriceproductionandconsumptiononthecontinentcouldbeapartofthisprocess.CA
(ReportingfromBenin)