This study documents lessons from research on rice-based production systems that
was funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development
(DFID) through its Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy (RNRRS) which
spanned an eleven year period from 1995-2006. The report considers both the
research process and the development and uptake of research outputs and discusses
the implications of the findings for future research programmes. It highlights the
importance of rice as a food crop and for income and employment generation in
developing countries. The global demand for rice continues to increase rapidly,
especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) which imports a large proportion of its rice
from the United States and Asia.
Continuing increases in both production and productivity will be needed to meet this
growing demand. The main constraints to increased production in the rice sector are a
shortage of water and arable land; pests, diseases, and weeds; the availability of
suitable varieties for diverse environments (including low potential areas); rising
production costs, low quality of locally processed rice in SSA, and inefficient markets
for inputs and produce.
This study focuses on research conducted since 2001 by the Crop Post-Harvest, Crop
Protection, Natural Resources Systems and Plant Sciences programmes.