As
rice has become the most rapidly growing food source in Africa, the development
of rice varieties that are better adapted to production environments and
consumer preferences in the continent resonates well with the theme of the 6th
Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) underway in Accra, Ghana: “Africa
feeding Africa through Science and Innovations.”
Seeds
of these improved varieties – such as the five recently released ARICAs, the
upland and lowland NERICAs and the Sahel series developed by AfricaRice and its
partners – have been displayed at the CGIAR booth at AASW.
Some
of the accessions of the AfricaRice genebank, especially Oryza glaberrima, the African rice, which is today an endangered
species, are also showcased at the booth. The African rice is a rich reservoir
of genes for coping with local stresses. Such genes are a potentially valuable
resource for strengthening food security and for mitigating and adapting to
climate change.
The
AASW has brought together over 1,000 delegates from across Africa, including 60
scientists and experts from the CGIAR Consortium, representing many of the
CGIAR's Centers and Research Programs.
The
AfricaRice delegation is led by the Director General Dr Papa Seck, who strongly
believes that Africa has the potential to not only become self-sufficient in
rice, but also to become a net exporter onto the world market. “There is
absolutely no reason why Africa cannot feed itself,” he stated.
