Under
the special initiative of the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ), called ‘One World – No Hunger,’ Green Innovation Centers
are being established in 13 countries, including Benin, to promote innovation
in the agricultural and food sectors in order to combat rural poverty and
hunger.

In
Benin, improvement of the rice sector along the value chain will be one of the
major thrusts of this effort. In addition to BMZ, the partners include Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Benin Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and AfricaRice.

“We
strongly believe that the use of innovative technologies, appropriate methods,
training and research can help attain food self-sufficiency in Africa,” the
Minister remarked, giving the example of AfricaRice, which has developed a
range of proven technologies that are helping smallholder farmers across the
continent to sustainably increase rice productivity and build resilience.

“It
is a great honor for AfricaRice to have been selected to collaborate in this
initiative,” stated AfricaRice Director General Dr Harold Roy-Macauley. “This
is in recognition of the strategic importance of the rice sector in the
continent and AfricaRice’s capacity to bring together partners who can
contribute to the Innovation Center for the benefit of the region.”
On
behalf of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers, the Board of Trustees and staff,
Dr Roy-Macauley expressed his deep appreciation to the Minister and the Federal
Government of Germany for their confidence and for the strong financial and
technical support to the research and development activities carried out by the
Center over the years.
The
Minister and his delegation saw the demonstration of technologies and approaches
developed by AfricaRice and its partners that would be disseminated through the
Green Innovation Center in Benin. These include improved rice varieties, the RiceAdvice
– a decision support tool – and a range of small-scale machines for rice
farming and processing.
The delegation included representatives from the Federal German government, Benin authorities and partner organizations.
The delegation included representatives from the Federal German government, Benin authorities and partner organizations.