En cours
4 years (2022 - 2026)
Food security
Climate resilience of communities
14,000,000 USD
Smallholder rice farmers
Private sector
Civil society
Scaling up climate-resilient rice production in West Africa - RICOWAS
West Africa has been identified as particularly vulnerable to climate change due to naturally high levels of climate variability combined with the heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture and limited economic and institutional capacity to cope with climate change.
Rice is a commodity crop in West Africa and is highly important in regional food security for rural and urban populations.
Despite the regional initiative launched by the Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS, yields have remained low. Even though they are available, climate-resilient rice production techniques are not yet widely disseminated and adopted.
The RICOWAS project aims to use an innovative approach to rice production that is resilient to the effects of climate change.
The main objective of the RICOWAS project is to improve the climate resilience and increase the productivity of the rice system of smallholder rice farmers across West Africa using a climate-resilient rice production approach.
Specific objectives :
- Strengthening the resilience and capacity of smallholder rice farmers in the region
- Helping farmers implement and scale up Climate Resilient Rice Production (CRRP)
- Supporting a communication platform to promote effective knowledge exchange
- Facilitating the establishment of a coalition of partners at national and regional levels
Expected results :
- Climate change is taken into account in the regional strategy of the Rice Offensive and the national integrated rice development strategies
- Key stakeholders operating in different climate zones and rice systems have acquired tools, knowledge and skills to address climate threats and sustainably implement CRRP
- Smallholder rice farmers in the project areas have successfully adopted SRI and CRRP practices, achieved higher rice productivity and improved their incomes and livelihoods
- Strengthened rice value chain through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and agricultural associations and cooperatives, and thus improved the resilience of small-scale rice farmers to the adverse effects of climate change
- Awareness and knowledge of CRRP in West Africa has increased significantly
- Strengthened partnerships and coordination to enable CRRP mainstreaming in West Africa.
- Adaptation Fund - AF
Official Launch of the RICOWAS Project. January 18, 2023, Bamako-Mali
- Regional Training of Trainers Workshop: Held from April 1 to 5, 2024, in Grand-Lahou, Côte d'Ivoire, this workshop brought together 39 highly qualified master trainers. The goal was to disseminate knowledge on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Climate Resilient Rice Production (CRRP) practices, and the environmental and socio-economic challenges linked to rice cultivation.
- Scaling up SRI and CRRP Practices: Large-scale deployment of SRI and CRRP techniques was undertaken, accompanied by the training of 1,000 national workers to ensure widespread adoption.
- Establishment of Demonstration Plots: Demonstration plots were set up across project areas to train smallholder rice farmers in SRI and CRRP techniques. These plots also served as training grounds for organic fertilizer production, compost making, and the processes of rice seed production, quality control, and certification.
- Capacity Building for Implementing Entities: Technical capacities of the implementing entities were strengthened through the provision of equipment, enabling them to effectively carry out their field operations and missions.
- Launch of National Consultations: National consultations were initiated to establish the project’s baseline and identify the capacity-building needs of various stakeholders, with a particular focus on the final beneficiaries.