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"Africa rice farming system"
Development of sustainable rice cultivation and food production system in Africa

Related Research Program
Food
Country
Guinea Tanzania Madagascar

2025-08-04

Background

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's most food insecure region, with one in four people chronically hungry. In order to secure a stable supply of food for the region and achieve the eradication of hunger set forth in the SDGs, food production technology that can adapt to the increasingly unstable growing environment and effectively utilize limited resources such as water and nutrients is required. To this end, we will create new technologies and knowledge that will lead to increased production of rice, a key crop in the region, and improved nutrition for the people, with the aim of building a sustainable food production system centered on rice cultivation.

Rice production (milled) and consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa

（Source：USDA Production, Supply Distribution Online at https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/app/index.html#/app/home）
不安定な水環境、養分供給に乏しい風化土壌、農家の肥料投入力の低さにより、イネの生産性が制限されている。

Rice productivity is limited due to unstable water conditions, degraded soils with poor nutrient supply, and low fertilizer inputs by farmers.

Objectives

Develop new technologies and knowledge that will lead to a sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food production system centered on rice by integrating water management technologies, breeding materials and cultivation technologies, and to provide them to the target countries.

不安定な生産環境への適応性や栄養性・市場性が強化された育種素材の開発

Development of breeding materials with enhanced adaptability to unstable production environments, improved nutritional quality and marketability

Development and evaluation of food production systems that make effective use of water and soil nutrients, leading to increased rice production, improved nutrition, and higher incomes for farmers

Research Themes

  • Elucidation of the potential of paddy rice cultivation in Africa and development of technology to maximize output
  • Development of breeding materials for rice and vegetables that contribute to increased food production and improved nutrition in Africa
  • Development and impact assessment of cultivation technologies and production systems with excellent resource utilization that lead to improved nutrition and higher income

Target Countries

Madagascar, Tanzania, Guinea

Target Beneficiaries

Research institutes in target countries, extension organizations (members), research institutes in other countries, international research institutes, international development projects

Project Leader

TSUJIMOTO Yasuhiro (Crop, Livestock and Environment Division)

Poster

Related Pages

JIRCAS Report

JIRCAS-developed “P-dipping” Technology Featured in Hands-on Event at JICA Tsukuba Rice Planting Festival

The fertilizer application technology “P-dipping,” developed by JIRCAS, was featured at a hands-on event organized in collaboration between JIRCAS and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Tsukuba during the Rice Planting Festival held at JICA Tsukuba in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, on May 16, 2026. This initiative aimed to provide an opportunity for the general public to experience the technology through actual practice while raising domestic awareness. Approximately 150 people attended the event.

P-dipping: A Fertilization Technique to Improve Phosphorus Use Efficiency in Rice—Introduction Video and Infographic Poster Released

In April 2026, JIRCAS released an introductory video and an infographic poster that clearly explain “P-dipping,” a fertilization technique developed as a research outcome of the “Africa rice farming system” project.

Senior Researcher DAN Haruyuki Receives the President’s Award from the Japanese Society for Tropical Agriculture

On March 16, 2026, at the 139th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Tropical Agriculture (JSTA) held at the University of Tsukuba, Dr. DAN Haruyuki, Senior Researcher in the Rural Development Division, received the JSTA President’s Award and delivered a commemorative lecture.

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Press Release

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Event, Symposium

Event
Date
(JST)
Seminar "The application of science and traditional knowledge to foster the utilization of foods obtained from local landscapes for improved nutrition and livelihoods"
Registration period:
- (JST)
Place
 Vision Center Hibiya (Room 301 – Up to 40) + Webex
(Hibiya Marine Building 3rd floor, 1-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006)
Event
Date
(JST)
TICAD8 Official Side Event “Managing African Soil for Food Security and Environmental Sustainability” - Opportunities and Challenges of Agronomy to Solve Low Fertility/Nutrient Bottlenecks -
Registration period:
- (JST)
Place
Online (Zoom)  
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Field Information

  • Pick Up

    849. Enhanced Rice Root Morphology Increases Phosphorus Uptake

    Phosphorus, one of the three main plant nutrients, is closely linked to plant growth and yield. It is therefore essential to provide plants with sufficient phosphorus. However, many agricultural areas around the world are deficient in phosphorus, and in developing regions such as Africa, economic constraints make it difficult to purchase enough fertilizer. As a result, crops often suffer from chronic phosphorus deficiency. Through genetic analysis of two rice varieties with contrasting root shapes, JIRCAS has discovered genetic loci that control lateral root development and the number of crown roots in rice, and has shown that these genes play a role in increasing phosphorus uptake by plants in phosphorus-deficient fields. The results of this research are expected to lead to improved rice yields in developing regions where phosphorus deficiency is widespread, and to reduced fertilizer application as a result of improved phosphorus use efficiency in rice.

  • Pick Up

    841. Table Salt for Soil Analysis ! ?

    Soils have a unique property called "phosphorus (P) retention capacity," which refers to their ability to bind with phosphates. When soil has a high P retention capacity, the P fertilizer applied in a cropland may bind to the soil before being absorbed by crops. This reduces the efficiency of fertilization. Therefore, P retention capacity is used for fertilization management. Recent studies have shown a close relationship between P retention capacity and soil moisture content. A research team from JIRCAS and the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar used this relationship to develop a method that accurately and easily estimates P retention capacity from soil moisture content, including a clever use of table salt (sodium chloride).
  • Pick Up

    789. Energy Intake and Seasons

    One component of food security is stability, and seasonality is a major factor affecting food security, especially for smallholder farmers in developing regions. Even if food is available immediately after harvest, it may not be available before the harvest season.

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Research Highlights

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Article and Publication

2025