




The System Of Rice Intensification In Africa
As of 2016, rice consumption in Ghana was estimated at 770,000 metric tons per year, with an estimated US$ 500 million spent on imports yearly. In addition, many Ghanaians are reportedly willing to pay higher prices for imported rice because they feel it is better quality. Hence, with proper extension, the opportunities for SRI adoption are great, as the methods are appropriate for small farmers, can raise yields, and can improve the quality of harvested grain.
The earliest discussions of SRI in Ghana took place during 2001/2002 visits by Norman Uphoff. During 2007-08, the Japanese development consulting firm Nippon Koei carried out a study for JICA that resulted in some SRI trials in the Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme east of Accra, under the management of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA). Though these early trials met with setbacks, Shuici Sato, who had worked with SRI in Indonesia, was invited by the Chief Executive of Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) during 2009 to provide additional information on SRI to GIDA staff.
Kwabena Adu Broni, a farmer who began experimenting with SRI in 2007, reported on successful SRI evaluations in Ghana at Aboso-Odumase in the Western Region in 2009. During 2009-2011, the General Agriculture Worker’s Union in collaboration with ActionAid Ghana has supported farmers in implementing SRI on a pilot basis under the Asutware Rice Irrigation Project and the Ashiaman Rice Irrigation Project. According to an article in the Ghana News Agency, on October 27, 2011, rice farmers operating under the Kpong Irrigation Project at Asutware in the Eastern Region called on the Government of Ghana to adopt SRI as a policy to help increase rice production in the country.
SRI training was first done for Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body (GRIB) members on an Skills Development Fund (SDF)‐funded project in 2012 in six out of ten regions in Ghana. GRIB also worked on another project with ADVANCE-USAID in 2013. During June 2012, an SRI training in Ghana was provided by the Regional USAID’s Extended Agribusiness Trade Promotion (E-ATP) project. At a regional SRI workshop in Burkina Faso (July 2012), Gina Odarteifio, CEO of AMSIG Resources, described how her company has trained and undertaken SRI trials with 1000+ farmers in 20 communities (see 2012 item below). During 2014, the Ghana Inter-Professional The Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) has secured a $1 million 3-year World Bank grant (through WAAPP) to enhance local rice cultivation in the northern ecological zones of the country using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). As one of 13 participating countries in the World Bank-financed regional project “Improving and Scaling up the System of Rice Intensification in West Africa” (SRI-WAAPP) that formally began in January 2014, Ghana participates in the project in regional workshops, trainings and meetings is undertaking nationally funded SRI activities through the WAAPP. The map and partners of SRI-WAAPP-related field sites (as of 2016) in Ghana are noted below.
The project on Improving and Scaling up the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in West Africa (SRI-WAAPP) has had continued success promoting the introduction, adaptation and scaling up of SRI in Ghana. SRI-WAAPP has multiple partners in Ghana, which include: Ghana Rice Inter – professional Bodies (GRIB), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) of MoFA, The Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Crops Research Institute (CRI), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Rice Sector Support Project (RSSP) and Farmer – Based Organizations (FBOs), the North AMSIG Resource, AgXtension Africa Ltd, ICOUR, Quality rice development Project (QRDP) , Navrongo IP, Golinga IP, the Rice Sector Support Project (RSSP) and Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA). The updated 2016 map at right shows 90 SRI project sites throughout Ghana, which is also discussed in an article on the Ghana government’s website. For more information on SRI in Ghana, see the SRI-WAAPP project website and the SRI-WAAPP’s Ghana page. The Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR/SARI) 2015 annual report states that farmers using SRI principles received higher yields compared to plots using traditional methods.
Speaking at the project launch, the Monitoring and Evaluation officer at WAAPP, Augustine Oppong Dankwa, said the project was going to train the farmers in the improved farming techniques for seed treatment, soil preparation and the right quantities of manure and water to use during cultivation. The Research Coordinator at SARI, Dr Wilson Dogbe, said most of the problems the rice sector faced were due to the challenges of climate change in the country, and that is only producing only 30 per cent of rice consumed. (See article in GhanaWeb for details. A short video about the project is also available.)
At the regional SRI workshop, Gina Odarteifio, CEO of AMSIG Resources, an agribusiness company in Accra, gave an interview (right) about how she began promoting SRI after she inadvertently learned about it during a workshop mix-up. After attending what turned out to be an SRI event by the USAID-funded IICEM/E-ATP project, she began promoting SRI trials during 2012 among 1000+ farmers in 20 communities that her agribusiness company serves in Ghana. A PowerPoint presentation shows some of the extension activities in the field. The E-ATP final report states that 806 farmers were trained in SRI through cascade trainings.