Status of activities in the rice-based systems: January-September, 2012

1. Status of activities in the rice-based systems: January-September, 2012 Africa Rice Center and CSIR-Savannah Agricultural Research Institute Africa RISING-West Africa Review and Planning Workshop 23-25 October, 2012, Tamale, Ghana

2. Partners & Implementation Teams • Meetings • Implementation approach – Rice Sector Development Hubs concept • Achievements and prospects • 1.1.1 Baseline survey • 1.1.15 Seed production • 2.1.7 Yield gap survey • 3.1.1 Diagnostic survey • 3.1.2 Multi-stakeholder platforms • Outline

3. Major partners

4. 23 partners • 2 Universities • 5 Research institutes • 2 Ministries – health and agriculture • NGOs • The private sector • Professional associations – farmers, processors, seed growers, traders, etc. • In-country partners

5. Baseline survey – Wiredu, Etwire, Martey, Nachim, Dogbe (SARI), Arouna, and Diagne (AfricaRice) • Community seed production – Siise, Abebrese, Yirzagla, and Dogbe (SARI) • Yield gap analysis – Baba, Yirzagla, Mawunya, Abdulai (SARI), and Saito (AfricaRice) • Diagnostic survey – Nachim, Abdulai, Etwire (SARI) and Raboanarielina (AfricaRice) • Rice sector development hubs and multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) – Prince, Owusu, Martey, Dogbe (SARI) and Raboanarielina (AfricaRice) • Implementation teams

6. Baseline survey – describes the prevailing socio- economic conditions of the actors in the target area • Diagnostic survey – finds out the knowledge and constraints faced by the actors in the area, as well as technology transfer and linkages • Yield gap survey – quantifies yield gaps and their causes through field observations and interviews • Some important definitions

7. Meetings

8. Hubs are zones where rice research products will be integrated across the rice value chain to achieve development outcomes and impact • Hubs represent key rice ecologies and different market opportunities in the target areas and will be linked to major regional or national rice development efforts to facilitate out-scaling • These hubs are testing grounds for new rice technologies and follow a ‘reverse-research approach’, i.e. starting from the market • Implementation Approach: The Rice Sector Development Hub concept

10. Implementation follows an iterative 3-stage approach: • 1st generation villages / rice communities will participate in baseline, diagnostic and yield gap surveys • 2nd generation rice communities will not be directly involved in research, but will benefit from the outcome of the research done in the 1st generation rice communities • 3rd generation rice communities will benefit from the research work done through scaling out development activities (funded by development partners)

12. Willoperationalize the concept of rice sector development hub • Act as a platform for introducing, validating and monitoring appropriate improved rice technologies and interventions • Multi-stakeholder platforms

13. Stages of the MSP Process

14. Achievements and prospects

15. 2 Hubs established: • Northern Region: Savelugu Hub - 20 communities, 200 households • Upper East Region: Navrongo Hub - 20 communities, 200 households • Protocol/workplan developed • Modular questionnaires formulated • Sample frame generated for producer survey • Sites selected based on Randomized Control Trials (Criteria: Rice potential, Population, Accessibility, and Market access) • 1.1.1. Baseline survey

16. 10 Enumerators + 4 SARI scientists trained on data collection using Smartphones • First round of data collection commenced Sept • Data collection completed in 13 communities and for 27 households (outstanding 27 communities and 373 households) • Baseline survey contd.

17. Backstopping an enumerator at Yizergu • Baseline survey contd.

18. 1st round of data collection ends Oct 2012 • 2 more rounds in Nov and Dec 2012 for on-farm and off-farm data on income and expenditure accounts for 2012 • Producer/community surveys will continue till Mar 2013 • Post-production surveys will start in Jan 2013 • Outstanding activities

19. Trained 15 farmers + 4 extension staff in the Navrongo Hub – too late to start in the Savelugu Hub • Provided foundation seed to the 15 farmers (0.4 ha each = 6 ha total) • All fields successfully established • Four monitoring and technical backstopping visits by CSIR-SARI • Seed are being certified by Ghana Seed Inspection Division of MoFA • 1.1.15: Seed production

20. Seed production field

21. Field inspections by GSIU • Harvesting & processing – end Nov 2012 • Final certification – Jan 2013 • Linking seed producing farmers to market (other farmers in the Hubs) • Outstanding activities

22. Yield gap concept: • Yield gap is the difference between maximum attainable yield and actual yield obtained by farmers 2.1.7: Yield gap survey

24. General Steps in Yield Gap Analysis

25. 2 SARI scientists + 15 Agricultural Extension Agents trained on data collection using Smartphones • 1 automated weather station established in Navrongo Hub (Nyangua) • 8 communities randomly selected for the survey • All households within the selected communities profiled • 88 farmers were randomly selected for participation • 88 farmers’ fields (8 researcher-managed) selected for yield gap survey Yield gap survey: achievements

26. Yield gap survey achievements contd. • Selected plots geo-referenced and measured • Documented farmers’ agronomic and management practices in the communities • Collected routine data based on the agreed protocol

27. Outstanding activities • Continue data collection on harvesting and post- harvest processes up to Feb 2013 • Collate data at each location and construct database – up to Mar 2013 • Analyze data to identify and delineate the main constraints responsible for yield gaps – May 2013 • Clearly classify the yield gaps into: • exploitable gaps (those that are due mainly to suboptimal crop management practices) • less exploitable gaps (those that can be closed, but with less economic gains)

28. Protocol developed • 2 team members trained by AfricaRice • Community listing and selection completed • Key Informant and Focused Group interviews conducted in six communities • Data transcription almost completed • Data entry 85% complete • 3.1.1: Diagnostic survey

29. Communities selected for Key Informant and Focused Group interviews

30. Complete data entry – end Nov 2012 • Training on data analysis - Dec 2012 /Jan 2013 • Data analysis and report writing – end Mar 2013 • Outstanding activities

31. Different types of stakeholders identified (through surveys and site visits) • MSPs composed, launched and made operational • Relationships between stakeholders identified • Stakeholders’ needs and interests identified and analyzed • Backstopping at monthly MSP meetings • 3.1.2 Multi-stakeholder platforms

32. MSPs established Navrongo MSP Savelugu MSP

33. The project facilitated: • Statement of vision and mission by each MSP • Election & inauguration of executives/steering committees • Collection of membership levies • Opening of bank accounts • Adoption of local names for MSPs • Initiation of official registration of MSPs as cooperative societies • Opening of office space • Achievements contd.

35. Framework Research output 1: activities

36. Thank you.