AfricaRice Sets Up Region-wide Network of Rice Hubs

The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is working with its partners across the continent to set up Rice Sector Development Hubs that will concentrate on research and development efforts, establish a critical mass, connect partners along the rice value chain, and facilitate the spread of innovations of rice technology.

The hubs will serve as testing grounds for new rice technologies and follow a 'reverse-research approach' -an approach that starts from the market. The hubs bring together large groups of farmers (1,000–5,000) and partners from the whole rice value chain—input suppliers, seed producers, processors, millers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers—to facilitate change.

See AfricaRice's news release at http://africarice.blogspot.com/2013/08/setting-up-network-of-rice-hubs-across.html.