AfricaRice wins Communication and Young Scientist awards

At the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD), which took place in Montpellier, France, from 28 to 31 March, AfricaRice was crowned with two prestigious international science awards by the CGIAR: one for Outstanding Communication and another for Outstanding Promising Young Scientist.

The 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Communication Award was presented to Dr Paul Van Mele, AfricaRice program leader, Learning and Innovation Systems, for the Rice Rural Learning Initiative based on farmer-to farmer videos on improved rice production practices. 

The videos, combined with mass media, have helped strengthen the capacities of over 600 farmer organizations across Africa, stimulated greater innovation than conventional farmer training techniques had done, and had tangible impact on the livelihoods of rural women.

The 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Promising Young Scientist Award was presented to Dr Jonne Rodenburg, AfricaRice weed scientist, for his commitment to help resource-poor rice farmers, especially women, through the development of integrated approaches to managing parasitic weeds, a major source of yield loss in rice in Africa.

Rodenburg was appreciated for his high-quality research, excellent record in publications, close involvement in building capacity of national scientists, and successful efforts in mobilizing resources for research projects.

“We are very proud of our two awardees, whose achievements testify to the new dynamism in research at AfricaRice,” said Director General Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck. 

GCARD: AfricaRice wins two prestigious international science awards

At the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development, which took place in Montpellier, France, 28-31 Mar 2010, AfricaRice was crowned with two prestigious international science awards by the CGIAR: one for Outstanding Communication and another for Outstanding Promising Young Scientist.

The 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Communication Award was presented to Dr. Paul Van Mele, AfricaRice Program Leader on Learning and Innovation Systems, for the Rice Rural Learning Initiative based on farmer-to-farmer videos on improved rice production practices.

The videos, combined with mass media, have helped strengthen the capacities of over 600 farmer organizations across Africa, stimulated greater innovation than did conventional farmer training techniques and had tangible impact on the livelihood of rural women.

The 2009 CGIAR Outstanding Promising Young Scientist Award was presented to Dr. Jonne Rodenburg, AfricaRice Weed Scientist, for his commitment to help resource-poor rice farmers in Africa, especially women, through the development of integrated approaches to managing parasitic weeds, the major source of yield loss in rice in Africa.

Dr. Rodenburg was appreciated for his high-quality research, excellent record in publications, close involvement in building capacity of national scientists and successful efforts in mobilizing resources for research projects.

“We are very proud of our two awardees, whose achievements testify to the new dynamism in research at AfricaRice,” said Director General Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck.

Diseases and climate change

This year AfricaRice is starting one of the first efforts to look at the relationship between plant diseases and climate change. The project is funded by the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation), and is called “Mitigating the impact of climate change on rice disease resistance in East Africa.” It will work in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, led by Dr. Yacouba Séré. According to the International Panel on Climate Change the Great Lakes region of Africa is expected to be especially vulnerable to climate change.

Even without climate change, there is much to be done in East Africa. In recent years, high temperatures and erratic rainfall in Uganda have contributed to an increase of diseases like rice blast, brown spot, grain rot and bacterial blight. In Tanzania, there are few rice varieties which are resistant to disease. Rice blast and sheath rot have caused 20% loss of the rice crop in Rwanda. Rice diseases often adapt quickly to their hosts, so that new varieties may lose their disease resistance within a few years.

A first step will be to learn more about the diversity of pathogens and their relationship to rice. The project will study the interactions between diseases and rice and will identify genes that will help breeders to develop varieties with more durable resistance. Effective genes can be added to popular varieties using marker assisted selection (MAS).

The team will also study farmers’ knowledge of disease and climate change, to build on indigenous knowledge. The project will link with advanced institutions, especially German universities.

Scientists will develop a model to predict what will happen to the pathogens and to the rice varieties under different climate scenarios. A variety which is resistant now may not be as climate changes. A minor disease may become a major stress as climate change and vice versa.

Two of the important rice diseases in the region are rice blast and bacterial blight. Both are greatly affected by climate, especially temperature and humidity. As the temperature increases, so may the incidence of rice diseases.

At the end of this three year project AfricaRice will have more information on the current situation of the interaction between rice varieties and rice pathogens (especially for blast and bacterial blight), on how rice diseases will respond to climate change, and on the genes that will be needed in the future to protect rice.

Maladies du riz et changement climatique

Cette année, AfricaRice a initié un de ses premiers efforts pour étudier la relation entre les maladies des plantes et le changement climatique. Le projet est financé par la coopération allemande GTZ, et s’intitule “Atténuation de l’impact du changement climatique sur la résistance du riz aux maladies en Afrique de l’Est.” Il est dirigé par Dr Yacouba Séré et couvrira l’Ouganda, le Rwanda et la Tanzanie. Selon le panel international sur le changement climatique, on s’attend en Afrique, à ce que la région des grands lacs soit particulièrement vulnérable au changement climatique.

Même sans changement climatique, il y a beaucoup à faire en Afrique de l’Est. Récemment, des températures élevées et une pluviométrie irrégulière en Ouganda ont contribué à une augmentation des maladies comme la pyriculariose, la maladie des taches brunes, la pourriture des grains et la bactériose. En Tanzanie, il y a peu de variétés résistantes aux maladies. La pyriculariose et la pourriture des gaines ont causé 20% de perte dans la riziculture au Rwanda. Souvent, les maladies du riz s’adaptent rapidement à leurs hôtes et des nouvelles variétés peuvent ainsi perdre leur résistance en l’espace de quelques années.

Une première étape consisterait à mieux connaître la diversité des agents pathogènes et leurs relations avec le riz. Le projet étudiera les interactions entre les maladies et le riz et identifiera des gènes qui aideront les sélectionneurs à développer des variétés avec une résistance plus durable. Des gènes efficaces peuvent être incorporés à des variétés  populaires à l’aide de la Sélection assistées par marqueurs (MAS).

L’équipe étudiera et capitalisera aussi sur les connaissances paysannes en termes de maladies et changement climatique. Le projet travaillera en liaison avec des institutions de recherche avancée, en particulier, des universités allemandes.

Les chercheurs développeront un modèle pour prédire ce qui adviendrait sur les agents pathogènes et les variétés de riz sous différents scénarios climatiques. Une variété résistante actuellement peut ne plus l’être avec le changement de climat. Une maladie mineure peut devenir un stress majeur avec le changement climatique et vice versa.

Deux des maladies importantes du riz dans la région sont la pyriculariose et la bactériose qui sont fortement affectées par le climat, surtout la température et l’humidité. Leur incidence pourrait s’accroître avec l’augmentation des températures.

A la fin de ce projet de trois ans, AfricaRice disposera de plus d’informations sur la situation réelle de l’interaction entre les variétés  et les agents pathogènes du riz (particulièrement pour la pyriculariose et la bactériose), la manière dont les maladies du riz répondent au changement climatique et les gènes nécessaires pour la protection du riz à l’avenir.

Africa Rice Congress calls for strengthening capacity building

The second Africa Rice Congress, with the theme of Innovation and partnerships to realize Africa’s rice potential, was held at Bamako, Mali, from 22 to 26 March. The Congress was organized in collaboration with the Malian national agricultural research system, the Institut d’économie rurale (IER). The Government of Mali hosted the Congress, which brought together about 500 participants from 54 countries.

The participants included rice farmers; seed producers; processors; input dealers; manufacturers of agricultural machinery; national rice research and extension systems; representatives from agricultural ministries, international and advanced research institutes, NGOs, and the donor community; and other development partners.

In view of the severe lack of capacity in rice production, which is throttling the development of Africa’s rice sector, the participants called for a ‘Marshall Plan’ to overcome this weakness.

During the opening ceremony, on behalf of Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Touré, Prime Minister Modibo Sidibé presented distinguished service awards to Drs Jacques Diouf, Eugene Terry and Kanayo F. Nwanze for their outstanding contributions to rice research and development in Africa during their respective terms as directors general of AfricaRice.

Mr Getachew Engida, AfricaRice Board Chair, presented a plaque of appreciation to President Touré for his government’s tremendous efforts to raise rice productivity through the Presidential Initiative on Rice in Mali, which has led to a 50% increase in rice production in the country.

The participants took the opportunity to deliberate on strategies to significantly increase rice production in Africa, develop competitive and equitable rice value chains, reduce imports, and enhance regional trade. They enthusiastically supported the newly proposed Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), an initiative of AfricaRice, IRRI and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) to harmonize national and international rice research agendas worldwide.

Under the main theme, the topics included rice genetic diversity and improvement; ecological intensification and diversification of rice-based systems; developing competitive rice value chains; new alliances and tools for rural learning and innovations, and policy implications; integrated management of pests, diseases and weeds in rice-based systems; and rice physiology and modeling.

An important event during the Congress was a forum on ‘Investing in Africa’s rice sector: opportunities and challenges’, in which ways to increase investments in the rice sector in Africa – particularly through innovative public–private partnerships – were explored. Issues such as the need to increase investments for increasing the area under irrigation, improving rural infrastructure, and introducing agricultural mechanization were raised.

The forum featured exhibitions of machinery, inputs and rice products. At the end of the Congress, key recommendations were made to boost Africa’s rice sector. Awards for the best presentation in each theme, the best poster, and the Most Promising Young Scientist were also presented. 

Africa Rice Congress 2010: Africa calls for "Marshall Plan" for capacity building

In view of the severe lack of capacity in rice production, which is throttling the development of Africa’s rice sector, participants at the Africa Rice Congress 2010 held in Bamako, Mali, 22-26 Mar 2010, called for a "Marshall Plan" to overcome this weakness.

The Congress brought together nearly 450 participants from 54 countries, particularly from Africa. The participants included rice farmers; seed producers; processors; input dealers; manufacturers of agricultural machinery; national rice research and extension systems; representatives from agricultural ministries, international and advanced research institutes, nongovernment organizations, and the donor community; and other development partners.

The Africa Rice Congress 2010, with a theme “Innovation and partnerships to realize Africa’s rice potential,” was organized by AfricaRice in collaboration with the Mali national program, IER, under the aegis of the Malian government.

During the opening ceremony, on behalf of Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Touré, Prime Minister Modibo Sidibé presented distinguished service awards to Drs. Jacques Diouf, Eugene Terry, and Kanayo Nwanze for their outstanding contributions to rice research and development in Africa during their respective terms as director general of AfricaRice.

Dr. Getachew Engida, AfricaRice Board chair, presented a plaque of appreciation to President Touré for his government’s tremendous efforts to raise rice productivity through the Presidential Initiative on Rice in Mali, which has led to a 50% increase in rice production in the country. 

The participants took the opportunity to deliberate on strategies to significantly increase rice production in Africa, develop competitive and equitable rice value chains, reduce imports, and enhance regional trade.

They enthusiastically supported the newly proposed Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), an initiative of the AfricaRice, IRRI, and CIAT to harmonize national and international rice research agendas worldwide for increased impact in Africa.

Under the main theme, the topics included rice genetic diversity and improvement; ecological intensification and diversification of rice-based systems; developing competitive rice value chains; new alliances and tools for rural learning and innovations and policy implications; integrated management of pests, diseases, and weeds in rice-based systems; and rice physiology and modeling.

A major part of the Congress was a forum on “Investing in Africa’s rice sector: opportunities and challenges,” in which ways to increase investments in the rice sector in Africa particularly through innovative public-private partnerships were explored. Issues such as the need to increase investments for increasing the area under irrigation, improving rural infrastructure, and introducing agricultural mechanization were raised. The forum featured exhibitions of machinery, inputs, and rice products.

At the end of the Congress, key recommendations were made to boost Africa’s rice sector. Awards for the best presentation per theme, the best poster, and the Most Promising Young Scientist were also presented. 

Board of Trustees congratulates AfricaRice team for success

The Board of Trustees of AfricaRice congratulated Director General Papa Abdoulaye Seck and the staff of AfricaRice for placing the Center on a path of continuous growth. The Board of Trustees had its meeting from 7 to 10 March in Cotonou.

The Board congratulated the AfricaRice team for the following achievements.

•  Doubling of the Center’s budget in 2010 compared to 2007, with a significant rise in fund reserves.
•  Increase in recovery of contributions from African member states, which now collectively rank as the number one core donor of the Center.
•  Increase in membership of the Center with more African countries joining in the period 2006–2010.
•  Large number of exciting research projects addressing major challenges of rice in Africa, including climate change.
• Close partnership with national programs, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and advanced research institutions.
• International recognition, such as the Agricultural Merit Order of France and the Merit Order of Senegal presented to the Director General, and the selection of AfricaRice researchers for the CGIAR’s Outstanding Communication and Young Scientist awards.

Dr Robert Carsky Awards presented

To honor the contribution and dedication of the late Dr Robert Carsky, who served as agronomist at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) until his tragic death in 2004 in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, an annual award in his memory has been set up by the Center.

The Carsky Awards for 2010 were presented at the end of the meeting of the Board of Trustees on 10 March by Mrs Rebecca Khelseau-Carsky. The recipients of the awards were Ms Savitri Mohapatra (in the internationally recruited staff category) and Mr Justin Belemkoabga (in the general support staff category) for their outstanding contributions to the Center.

Africa Rice Center establishes Dr Robert Carsky Award

To honor the contribution and dedication of the late Dr Robert Carsky, who served as Agronomist at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) until his tragic death in 2004 in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, an annual award in his memory has been set up by the Center.

Announcing the launching of this award, Africa Rice Center Director General Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck said that it would recognize the staff who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of research and research support. “The Dr Robert Carsky Award will be conferred on the most outstanding Internationally Recruited Staff (IRS) and the most outstanding General Support Staff (GSS).”

The Award function was held at the end of the Board meeting of the Africa Rice Center in March 2009. Mrs Rebecca Khelseau-Carsky was invited to hand over the Award, which consists of a certificate and a token in the form of cash, to the selected staff members.

The two recipients of this Award selected by a special jury for 2008 are Dr Koichi Futakuchi from Japan for IRS and Mrs Oyin Oladimeji from Nigeria for GSS.

Dr Koichi Futakuchi

Dr Futakuchi, who works from Cotonou, Benin, has been with the Africa Rice Center since 1997 first as Post-doctoral Fellow and then as Ecophysiologist. He is now the Acting Head of the Genetic Resources Unit. At the Africa Rice Center, he has been coordinating most of the Japanese-funded special projects and has enabled the posting of Post-doctoral Fellows from Japan at the Center.

The jury highlighted that Dr Futakuchi’s scientific contributions and insights are very useful to rice breeders of the Africa Rice Center and the national programs. He has an extensive publication record with publications on rice genetics, physiology, and grain quality in internationally refereed journals.

Describing Dr Futakuchi as a very hard working scientist and a warm and helpful colleague, the jury stated, “Through his activities, Dr Futakuchi has raised the visibility of the Center and greatly contributed to the continued support of Japan.”

Mrs Oyin Oladimeji

Mrs Oyin Oladimeji, Research Assistant, is based at the Africa Rice Center Regional Station in Ibadan, Nigeria. 

Praising her dynamism and dedication, the jury described her as “an excellent facilitator in the interactions between rice scientists, extension staff, and farmers for activities relating to participatory varietal selection (PVS) and seed production.”

Under the supervision of various Africa Rice Center breeders, Mrs Oladimeji has been actively involved in the development of rice varieties for upland and lowland ecologies. She is also proficient in processing rice into high value products. 

Both the recipients expressed their deep gratitude. “I am honored to receive this special award with the name of Dr Robert Carsky, who was an outstanding scientist with long experience in Africa,” Dr Futakuchi said.