2.6.2 AfricaRice

achieved this impact by focusing on key tropical food crops, such as banana and plantain, maize, cassava, soybean, cowpea, tree crops, and yam. With the mission to enhance food security and improve livelihoods through R4D, IITA tackles these challenges by pursuing these interrelated objectives: improving food security, increasing the profitability of foods and other agricultural products, reducing risks to producers and consumers, and helping national entities to expand agricultural growth. IITA is the prime contractor for the Program but AfricanRice and ICRISAT were also involved in the midwife of the Program. IITA was additionally apart from its overall role providing the necessary assistant on cassava while AfricanRice was in charge of rice and ICRISAT was in charge of sorghum.

2.6.2 AfricaRice The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is a leading pan-African rice research organization committed to improving livelihoods in Africa through strong science and effective partnerships. AfricaRice is a CGIAR Research Center – part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future. It is also an intergovernmental association of African member countries.

The Center was created in 1971 by 11 African countries. Today its membership comprises 26 countries, covering West, Central, East and North African regions, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Uganda.

Recognizing the strategic importance of rice for Africa and the effective geographic expansion of the Center – which was constituted as the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) in 1971 – its Council of Ministers took a historic decision in September 2009 to officially change its name to “Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)” and to no longer refer to it as WARDA. Its mission is to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through research, development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment.

The modus operandi of the Center is partnership at all levels. Its research and development activities are conducted in collaboration with various stakeholders—primarily the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), academic institutions, advanced research institutions, farmers' organizations, non-governmental organizations, and donors—for the benefit of African farmers, mostly small-scale producers, as well as the millions of African families for whom rice means food.