Rice is one of the fastest growing and most promising agricultural sub-sectors in West-Africa, and has also become a key staple food in the region.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to improved food security at household and national level by boosting rice productivity, quality and market access in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali.

Expected outcomes:

• Improved understanding of local, ‘resilient’ markets and -supply of appropriate agro-economic services for local rice value and supply chains;

• Improved rice productivity (in quantity and quality) of farms and local processors (millers);

• Application of food securing measures (for storage; quality control; market and price information systems; land tenure security) by local organizations and institutions;

• Enhanced public policies for improved investment in rice development (in services, trade regulation, price stabilization, land and water tenure security), based on evidence delivered and dialogues by clients (‘local hubs’, business clusters and farmers’ organisations);

Activities

• Initiatives for sustainable production/ productivity: collaboration with Africa-Rice and Local hubs;

• Initiatives for quality control for harvesting (reducing contaminants), storage, processing in all countries;

• Local mechanisms and arrangement for land tenure security of smallholder farms in all countries;

• Brokering between rural banks and local economic organizations in credit-input chains inputs in two countries;

• Brokering for trade/marketing (in at least 12 business clusters) between farmers and agri-companies for processing and trade; adaptation of production and of milling to emerging market standards (supermarkets, school feeding programs);

• Action research and policy dialogue in all countries.