To What Extent Do Improved Practices Increase Productivity of Small-Scale Rice Cultivation in A Rain-fed Area? : Evidence from Tanzania

Agriculture development is indispensable for poverty reduction and food
security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Among other crops, rice is considered one of
the most important and promising crops to achieve a Green Revolution similar to Asia,
which lead to a drastic increase in paddy yield due to the diffusion of modern varieties
and chemical fertilizer use (Otsuka and Larson, 2013; Seck et al., 2010). In fact,
fertilizer-responsive modern varieties developed in Asia have exhibited high yield
potential especially in irrigated areas in SSA (Kajisa and Payongayong, 2011; Otsuka
and Larson, 2013; Nakano et al., 2013). However, the irrigation ratio in SSA is much
lower than in Asia (Hayami and Godo, 2005; Johnson, et al., 2003). Since it takes time
and resources to develop irrigation infrastructure, whether SSA can achieve a rice
Green Revolution in near future critically depends on the strategy for the development
of rain-fed rice cultivation even though the importance of irrigation development will
remain unchanged in the long run (Nakano et al., 2014; Nhamo et al., 2013).

Read The Journal here: Tanz – Japanese evaluation 2014