AfricaRice, AATF Seal Five-Year Partnership to Boost Rice Self-Sufficiency, Improve Farmers’ Livelihoods Across Africa

The strategic partnership brings together AfricaRice’s globally recognized expertise in rice research and breeding with AATF’s extensive experience in scaling agricultural technologies to farmers in 32 African countries.

Under the agreement, the two institutions will collaborate to strengthen the entire rice value chain by expanding farmers’ access to improved rice varieties, including high-yielding hybrid seeds, while promoting sustainable farming practices from seed production to processing and marketing.

The partnership will focus on quality seed production and distribution, adoption of good agricultural practices, mechanization, deployment of decision-support tools for efficient input use, and the promotion of modern rice processing technologies to enhance productivity and improve the quality of locally produced rice.

Speaking on the partnership, Director General of AfricaRice, Dr. Baboucarr Manneh, said the collaboration would help translate scientific research into practical solutions that directly benefit farmers.

“Through this partnership, we will work together with AATF to develop and promote mechanized tools and agricultural equipment that reduce drudgery in rice production, improve processing efficiency, and enhance the quality of locally produced rice,” he said.

Also commenting, Executive Director of AATF, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, described the agreement as a timely intervention in Africa’s quest for sustainable food production.

“We stand at a crossroads in Africa’s food production journey, where population growth, climate change, and declining agricultural productivity continue to threaten food and nutrition security. By investing in agricultural innovations, we have a unique opportunity to transform African agriculture into a powerful driver of economic growth,” Kanangire stated.

The partnership is expected to leverage AfricaRice’s robust research pipeline alongside AATF’s public-private partnership model to advance Africa’s drive toward rice self-sufficiency.

The agreement comes at a time when political and financial commitment to rice development is gaining momentum across the continent, following the recent West Africa Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, where stakeholders pledged USD 1.54 billion to boost rice production and strengthen regional food security.

About AATF

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is an international not-for-profit organization established in 2003 to provide African farmers with access to innovative agricultural technologies that improve productivity, enhance food and nutrition security, and increase incomes. The organization has reached more than 98 million farmers across 32 African countries.

About AfricaRice

The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is a pan-African CGIAR Center of Excellence dedicated to rice research, development, and capacity building. Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Center serves 28 African member countries, working to reduce poverty, improve food and nutrition security, and enhance livelihoods throughout the rice value chain.