Research Project (Ongoing)

An Empirical Analysis on Expanding Rice Production in Sub-Saharan Africa Phase 3

This study is Phase 3 of a three-phase research project titled “An Empirical Analysis on Expanding Rice Production in Sub-Saharan Africa.” It analyzes the impact of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) initiative, which aims to alleviate food problems as the medium-term and long-term goals and contribute to the development of rural areas and reduction of poverty by increasing rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The CARD initiative was launched during the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in 2008. The JICA Ogata Research Institute implemented the Phase 1 research project in 2009–2014 and the Phase 2 research project in 2014–2023.

During Phase 2, we evaluated the impact of cultivation training in Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Côte d'Ivoire, the impact of mechanization in Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya, the economic efficiency of large-scale irrigation in Kenya and Senegal, and the impact of improving rice quality in Kenya and Ghana.

As a result of Phase 1 and Phase 2, 24 papers were published in peer-reviewed international journals, and 3 books were published. The book Rice Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa, was published as the final outcome of Phase 2 in 2023.

Phase 3 is designed to address the issues identified in Phase 2 with two main objectives:

i. To research the capacity building of extension officers, the mechanism of farmer-to-farmer extension under rain-fed conditions, the impact of mechanization (superiority and diffusion potential of small tractors), value chain improvement, and derive the implications for agricultural projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
ii. To disseminate research findings through academic journals and conferences. We also feed back findings to practitioners through TICAD, the CARD General Meeting, the JICA expert meetings, and other forums.

The research uses JICA’s technical cooperation projects as case studies to verify the impact of its training programs and equipment provision. The research covers six countries, namely, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, and Ghana.