Emerging models to drive rice intensification in West Africa 1) Rice demand is exploding in West Africa due to population growth, but current smallholder systems lack efficiency in production and market access. 2) The Syngenta Foundation aims to integrate smallholders into functioning rice value chains through projects providing access to inputs, equipment, and markets. 3) Example projects in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal involve thousands of smallholders in contract farming and warrantage models with a focus on improved production, post-harvest handling, and market linkages.

1. Emerging models to drive rice
intensification in West Africa
Robert Berlin
Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
3rd Africa Rice Congress, 22.10.1013

2. Reasons to go «Rice» in West Africa
Drivers for rice intensification in
West Africa
•Rice demand explosion
•Smallholder openness towards
new agrosystems
•Growing public and private
interest
•«Maintaning food security»
Increasing Rice Demand in West Africa
2
Source: MSU

3. Current smallholder systems lack efficiency
Foreign farmers Foreign exporters
Do
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su stic
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l i e pu
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Dom
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farm
c
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Importers
Col
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wh ectors
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sa l e &
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Retailers
Consumers in end-markets
Problems to overcome
 Poor access to input (equipment, seeds, CP, fertilizer)
Poor infrastructure and logistics
No adequate output market access

4. Current smallholder systems lack efficiency
Foreign farmers Foreign exporters
Importers
Dom
e
farm
c
esti
rs
Foreign farmers Foreign exporters
Domestic input
Domestic farmers
suppliers
Retailers
Consumers in end-markets
Retailers
Do
me
su stic
pp in
l i e pu
rs t
Col
l
wh ectors
ole
sa l e &
rs
Consumers in end-markets
Importers
Collectors &
wholesalers

5. The Mission: Integrating smallholders
into functioning rice value-chains
The main Syngenta Foundation intervention
areas
•Construction of reliable certified seed systems
•Provision of support at farmer level
•Development of service delivery systems
•Creation of sustainable cross-value chain
partnerships
•Leveraging of cloud-based ICT for smallholder
support

6. The Mission: Integrating smallholders
into functioning rice value-chains
Project targets
•Provision of appropriate harvest equipment
•Improvements to milling and handling
processes
•Reduction of the number of intermediary traders
•Improvement of supply chain reliability and
quality
•Increased product quality and yield
 Reducing post harvest losses by 50%
 Increasing smallholder income by 50%

7. The outlined projects
Project
Key Features
Smallholders
involved
Copa Connect
(Ghana)
• Contract farming with quality premium
• Infrastructure-driven production
• Farmers’ service center
5’000
Yaanovel
(Côte d’Ivoire)
• Contract farming with quality premium
• Public and private based service
provision
5’000
Sahel Farming
(Burkina Faso)
• Contract farming
• Private based service provision
• Production protocols
3’000
Office du Niger
(Mali)
• Warrantage with credit system
• Public service provision
1’000
Sénégal River
Valley
(Senegal)
• Warrantage and contract farming
• Public service provision
• Contracts with large-scale mills
1’400

8. GADCO – Copa Connect

9. Emerging models for rice value
chain intensification

10. Conclusions and implications
• High diversity of rice production systems
• Climatological and socio-economical differences
• Aggregation mechanisms important to increase
smallholder market power
• Logistics and infrastructure are issues
Producer-driven models very efficient in providing:
•Inputs
•Mechanization
•Know-how
•Finance
•Planning security