Africa Rice Congress Ends with Call for Increased Investment, Benefits for Smallholders

The 3rd Rice Africa Rice Congress, the largest gathering of rice industry experts, policy makers and farmer representatives concluded with a call to "stimulate national, regional and global partnerships to (help) develop Africa's rice sector."

Attended by more than 650 delegates from 60 countries, including 35 African nations, the event was co-organized by the Africa Rice Center and FAO. In its final declaration, the congress also called for increased investment in the modernization and mechanization of Africa's farming and in aggregation of farm output, while safeguarding land rights of smallholders and improving livelihoods. It also urged the strengthening of farmer organizations to ensure that farmers capture a fair share of value, added in the value chain and more encouragement for the development of public-private partnerships.

Speaking at the congress, FAO Assistant Director-General Ren Wang said the organization was in a strong position to help accelerate the already good growth in rice productivity in Africa. "AfricaRice and the Global Rice Science Partnership are excellent engines for the production of new technologies. I believe FAO can strengthen its role as a partner in these important activities," he said.

For more information, read the FAO news release at: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/203574/icode/.