African farmers reap rewards of flood-tolerant rice

Published 2023년 5월 16일

Tridge summary

Two new rice varieties, developed by the Africa Rice Center and the International Rice Research Institute, are providing flood resistance and improving productivity for farmers in Africa, particularly in countries like Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Tanzania that are highly vulnerable to climate change. These varieties can survive up to two weeks of complete submergence, compared to one week for existing varieties, and can yield up to two tons more per hectare. The introduction of a gene for submergence tolerance has been key to this success. These rice varieties are expected to generate at least US$3 billion in returns for African countries experiencing flooding in the next five years. The innovation has received US$150,000 at the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech.

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Original content

Two flood-resistant rice varieties are helping farmers in Africa to improve productivity, with huge potential returns for countries affected by climate change, agricultural food experts say. Scientists at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) say the rice they developed could survive for more than two weeks under complete submergence, whereas existing rice varieties die after one week of flooding. The experts found that it can generate up to two tons per hectare more than rice varieties vulnerable to flooding. "Until recently, no flood-tolerant rice varieties existed in Africa and farmers suffered enormous losses due to floods," says Venuprasad Ramaiah, head of the International Rice Genebank at the IRRI. "Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania are among the most flood-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa." Ramaiah says the new varieties also produce a ...

Source: Phys