Sowing the seeds of rice self-sufficiency in Africa through capacity building

Workshop participants discuss constraints in the production and delivery of quality rice seed in Uganda.

IRRI works closely with national research and extension systems (NARES) in making scientific knowledge and expertise on rice science more widely accessible. Together with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), IRRI aims to improve the quality of rice seed production, which contributes to food and livelihood security of smallholder farmers in member countries of the Coalition of African Rice Development (CARD).

Since 2016, IRRI-JICA-PhilRice has developed and facilitated two training programs in the Philippines: the three-week Quality Breeder and Foundation Seed Course conducted at IRRI Headquarters and the eight-week Specialized Course on Rice Seed Production and Extension held at PhilRice Central Experiment Station. To date, 83 individuals have been trained from 18 out of 23 CARD member countries.

Philippines: Season-long rice farming training program starts for African agronomists

An 18-week season-long rice farming training program for extension agronomists from African countries commenced at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, on 25 June 2012.

The program, now in its second offering, has 26 participants from 6 countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Sierra Leone. It is a joint undertaking between the Government of Japan, through its Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and IRRI and runs from 25 June to 26 October 2012.

It will contribute to a greater and sustainable harvest of quality rice in each country and will demonstrate that the application of up-to-date rice farming practices and farm mechanization will result in increased food security and improvement in the livelihoods of rice farmers and their families and communities.

The program introduces a model of effective extension by a team of extension agronomists that are supported by researchers and research technicians that effectively incorporate the latest crop management technologies into farm practices. Extension agronomists are skilled in technology transfer to farmers.
               
The course includes participatory technology demonstration and the farmers' field school, conducted in partnership with Philippine farmers.

Also within the program, IRRI will hold meetings in collaboration with the participating organizations in Africa and follow up on participants’ implementation of a small project applying knowledge and skills acquired from the training in their own country. 

The course is led by Noel Magor, IRRI Program 6 leader and Training Center head; Joseph Rickman, East and Southern Africa program coordinator; Eugenio Castro, Jr., project coordinator/facilitator; Takahiro Nakamura, JICA-Japan; David Shires, consultant; and Zakaria Kanyeka, training coordinator in Africa.