SRI International Network and Resources Center

CÔTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)

Overview of SRI in Côte d'Ivoire

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) activities were first documented in Côte d’Ivoire during 2014 following the onset of the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program's (WAAPP) regional Improving and Scaling up SRI in West Africa (SRI-WAAPP) project. Following initial trials overseen by the SRI-WAAPP National Facilitator for Côte d’Ivoire, Dr. Alphonse Bouet, the project focus zoned in on peri-urban areas across the country. The map at right lists SRI trial sites as of 2016. The second regional workshop, attended by 60 participants from the 13 West African countries involved in the SRI-WAAPP project, took place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, February 16-19, 2015. Various additional SRI-WAAPP trainings are outlined in the progress/activities section below. In a 2021 article the National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) reports that SRI methods used in irrigated rice plots of Gbon, in the Savanes district in northern Côte d'Ivoire, have resulted in a 25% increase in production. (This site is part of a SRI project was implemented in 2013 in Côte d'Ivoire and Gbon was one of the 13 departments selected for its extension phase.) In October 2021, the Adaptation Fund approved the “Scaling up Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa” (RICOWAS) project which includes Côte d’Ivoire and 12 other countries in the region. The RICOWAS project emphasizes SRI methods and other climate resilient rice production practices.

Progress and Activities

2021 Updates

• 12 National `"Champions" of CNRA SRI Project Cited at National Workshop

  [November 10, 2021] An article by Saint-Tra Bi reported on a national workshop held on November 26, 2021, to present the agronomic performance and the economic profitability of an SRI project in 13 departments of Côte d'Ivoire. At the end of the project, 12 "champions" received diplomas from the authorities for exceptional practice of SRI in the project areas. The workshop, held in Man, the capital of the Tonkpi region, was organized by the National Agricultural Research Center (CNRA), in partnership with the National Rural Development Support Agency (ANADER) and the Rice Sector Development Agency (ADERIZ), with the financial support from the Competitive Fund for Innovation and Sustainable Agriculture (FCIAD).

  Bouet Alphonse, coordinator of the FCIAD-SRI project at CNRA, remarked that all objectives of the project were achieved, with SRI yield gains of 11 to 78%. He added that role models, called champions, were identified and will further contribute to scaling the technology. Implemented from July 3, 2019 to November 30, 2021, the SRI project resulted in yield gains of over 50% during the 24-month trials, which caught the attention of rice farmers. Since rice production has been in deficit for nearly 40 years, the State, in order to ensure at least food self-sufficiency, has taken the initiative to create several structures in order to find efficient cultivation techniques adapted to the different rice-growing systems in Côte d'Ivoire which have led to the updating of the national rice development strategy [See full article (in French) in Fratmat website.
  

• SRI Included in Côte d'Ivoir's Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30.41%

  [November 10, 2021] Côte d'Ivoire is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30.41% by 2030, according to its Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Jean-Luc Assi, who made the statement in Glasgow during a high-level COP26 panel on the presentation on countries' aspirations to achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). (The Glasgow 2021 Climate Change Conference, or COP26, was held November 1-12, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland). Mr. Assi underlined Côte d'Ivoire's desire to embark on a low-carbon development path that is resilient to climate change. This corresponds to a reduction in figures of around 37 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030, which will be achieved by an increase in reforestation, renewable energies, energy efficiency, business, transportation and and climate-smart farming practices, including the large-scale implementation of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), modern landfills and recovery and technical landfill centers with methane recovery. [See article (in French) in the @BIDJ@n.net website.]

• Côte d’Ivoire Included in Four-Year Regional SRI-Based RICOWAS Project

  [October 21, 2021] The Adaptation Fund (AF) has approved the “Scaling up Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa” (RICOWAS) project in October 2021. The four-year, $14 million effort, which emphasizes the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), is the largest regional project funded by the AF in Africa, covering thirteen ECOWAS countries. In Côte d’Ivoire, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development/National Rural Development Support Agency (NRDSA) will be in charge of executing the project. The overall purpose of the initiative is to improve climate resilience and increase the productivity of the rice system of smallholder rice farmers in West Africa. Regionally, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), will oversee the project overall implementation. The Rice Regional Center of Specialization, hosted by the Institute of Rural Economy (IRE) of Mali, will be in charge of the regional level execution and will work in partnership with the Climate Resilient Farming Systems program at Cornell University. [See OSS article for more information.]

• Good Results from SRI Project in Northern Côte d'Ivoire

  [September 10, 2021] The National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) reports in a recent COMMODAFRICA article that SRI methods used in irrigated rice plots of Gbon, in the Savanes district in northern Côte d'Ivoire, have resulted in a 25% increase in production. Konaté Vamara, obtained a yield of 8.14 t / ha of paddy rice, which he attributes partially to the use of compost made from rice straw and other available raw materials. He noted that the results are much better than he obtained with synthetic fertilizer. This site is part of a SRI project was implemented in 2013 in Côte d'Ivoire and Gbon was one of the 13 departments selected for its extension phase. As SRI is an agro-ecological and climate-smart method that allows farmers to produce more rice using less seeds and water, and less purchased inputs, the report emphasizes that SRI is not based on infrastructure, new varieties or fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides to increase yields. [See full French language report and location link.]

• Daloa Producers Share SRI Experiences with Seven Villages

  [February 1, 2021] The National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER) began testing the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) with ten farmers in 2015 in the rice-growing areas of Bata and Zepreguhe in the department of Daloa. An article in the ANADER website reports that, on January 15, 2021, the ANADER Daloa zone initiated visits to producers in the villages of Brakaguhé, Niouboua, Ramatoulaye, Zépréguhé, Loboguiguia, Zakaria, and Sikaboutou, to share SRI experiences. This exchange visit to the Gako G5 perimeter made it possible to demonstrate to farmers the advantages of SRI through the testimonies of Abdramane Diamoutene and Drissa Ouattara, two producers monitored by ANADER. The first seeded a 2.5 ha plot with 12 kg of seeds of the GOLD 6444 variety (4.8 kg of seeds/ha) instead of 120 kg. Over a two-year period, Ouattara reported a yield of 7-10 tons/ha, which enabled him to buy a motorbike, a local rice store, and a rice huller, as well as ensuring the education of his children.

  According to the ANADER article, SRI has become a solution for producers in the region, and constitutes a tool in the fight against poverty and contributes to food security. Thirty producers and the ANADER staff in the Daloa zone, headed by Mr. Veh Bamba, interim zone manager, have experimented with this agroecological method. [See ANADER article (in French) for more information.]

2019

• SRI Project Launched in Man

  [July 26, 2019] According to an article from the Agence Ivoirienne de Presse, a new SRI project was launched in Côte d’Ivoire during July 25, 2019. The workshop to begin the project, which was initiated by the National Center for Agricultural Research (CNRA) in collaboration with several stakeholders, had the theme "Diffusion of ithe System of Rice intensification, an innovative cultural practice for the improvement of rice production in Côte d'Ivoire". [Read more...]

2017

• Yamoussoukro Farmer Shares SRI Experience at 4th International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animal Resources

  [November 27, 2017] Yao Kouakou Marcel (right), a rice producer from Yamoussoukro, presented his SRI expertise on November 25 at the 4th International Exhibition of Agriculture and Animal Resources at the FIRCA Innovation Stand. He received training from the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (WAAPP), which is carried out in Côte d’Ivoire by the Interprofessional Fund for Research and Agricultural Council (FIRCA). According to an article in Agrici.net, Marcel relayed that "It's SRI that has allowed me today to be autonomous because it really increases yields per hectare and slightly reduce the cost of production. In the past, we took 50 or 40 kg of seed for the establishment of a hectare, but with the SRI, I use only 10 kg for the establishment of a hectare. So, if I have to buy the seed at 1000 FCFA per kilogram, instead of 40 or 50,000 FCFA, it's only 10,000 francs and in terms of transport, it's easier. Even if I do not have a bike, I take my 10 kg, I go to the field and I quietly sow them. He added that by that using SRI with a short duration variety, he can harvest eight to nine tons per hectare whereas before, he could expect five to six tons per hectare at the most. Financially, this technique amounts to around 600,000 to 700,000 FCFA profit per hectare.

  "In conclusion, SRI has brought me a lot and I invite all my fellow producers and those who today want to cultivate rice to use this technique," says Marcel, who is from Yamoussoukro, on the outskirts of Subiakro, on the road to the Oumé Corridor. In addition to the training he received, he relayed that FIRCA enabled him to interact with the general public at SARA 2017, to make contacts, and to teach the visitors, some of whom have never seen a rice stand. Even if FIRCA stops their assistance, he plans continue sharing and, in fact, already has contracts underway to teach other producers how to do better rice farming and feed the country’s people with good rice. [See French language article in Agrici.net for more information]

2016

• SRI-WAAPP Project Reports SRI Success in Côte d’Ivoire

  [April 25, 2016] A report compiled by Dr. Alphonse Bouet, National Facilitator of SRI in Côte d’Ivoire, documents how SRI-WAAPP efforts to increase productivity in rice through SRI have been making progress toward improving self-sufficiency for rice as well as export capacity in Côte d’Ivoire. Through the regional West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP)'s SRI initiative, 155 rice farmers were trained in SRI methods during 2015, with comparative improvements over traditional methods at all nine sites, including grain per panicle increases of 12-48%, and yield increases up to 67%. Due to reported successes, these preliminary extension efforts have already inspired SRI adoption outside of test sites, with 22 hectares being independently cultivated outside of the project area. (See French language report for details and the May 12 feature article for stories on farmer and extension staff successes with SRI.)

2015

• Côte d’Ivoire represented at SRI-WAAPP Project Regional M&E Events

  [August 20, 2015] Côte d’Ivoire was represented at the several SRI-WAAPP monitoring and evaluation events during 2015: The Regional GIS and Mobile Data Collection Workshop during August 2015, the Regional M&E and Baseline Workshop, held in Dakar, Senegal, June 2015, and the Regional GIS and Mobile Data Collection Workshop, held in Cotonou, Benin, May / June 2015.

• Daloa Region Shares SRI Progress through New Facebook Page

  [April 2015] SRI-WAAPP participants from Daloa made a facebook group (SRI Daloa) during April 2015 on which project participants from their area share information on their SRI progress with others in Daloa as well as with people from all over the world. The facebook group is located at https://www.facebook.com/groups/sridaloa/.

• National Training of Trainers Workshop on SRI in Côte d’Ivoire

  [February 26, 2015] An SRI training of trainers workshop was organized by FIRCA/WAAPP from February 22-24 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, bringing together more than 60 participants, extension staff and farmers from all over the country. The trainers included the SRI-WAAPP National Facilitator, Alphonse Bouet from CNRA, and a team from the regional coordination unit, Minamba Bagayoko from CNS-Riz Mali, as well as Erika Styger and Devon Jenkins from SRI-Rice at Cornell University. [See French language training report.]
  

• Regional SRI Workshop Held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  [February 19, 2015] The second annual regional workshop for the SRI-WAAPP project, where yearly planning and first-year achievements were discussed, was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. (The first planning workshop for the project which was held in Porto Novo, Benin in February 2014). The four-day regional SRI event brought together over 60 participants from the 13 West African countries that are part of the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (WAAPP) to discuss the progress with SRI in 2014 and to plan country and regional activities for 2015 under the 3-year project "Improving and Scaling up SRI in West Africa," for which SRI-Rice provides technical support and advice. The event was co-organized by CNS-Riz from Mali, the FIRCA/WAAPP from Côte d’Ivoire, and SRI-Rice from Cornell University in New York. SRI-Rice is technical and strategic partner for the SRI-WAAPP project, and maintains the project website and facebook page.

2012-2014

• Côte d’Ivoire Joins World Bank-Funded Project on Improving and Scaling up SRI in West Africa

  As one of 13 participating countries in West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program's (WAAPP) regional Improving and Scaling up SRI in West Africa (SRI-WAAPP) project, Côte d’Ivoire receives funding for SRI activities and participates in regional workshops, trainings and meetings. The SRI-WAAPP National Facilitator for Côte d’Ivoire is Dr. Alphonse Bouet. For more about SRI activities in Côte d’Ivoire through the SRI-WAAPP project, visit the SRI-WAAPP Côte d’Ivoire page. Since the project's initial planning Cote d'Ivoire, has participated in the following regional activities. While the project formally began in 2014, Cote d'Ivoire was represented at various planning meetings and regional activities for SRI-WAAPP beginning in July 2012 with a regional workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Reports and Articles .

• Saint-Tra, Bi. 2021. Man/Riziculture : 12 ‘‘champions’’ nationaux du projet Sri de la Cnra distingués. Fratmat.info[12 SRI champions cited at national Nov. workshop on SRI project that showed yield gains of 11 to 78%]
  December 3, 2021, ratmat.info (Côte d'Ivoire)
• 2021. De bons résultats du système de riziculture intensive au nord de la Côte d'Ivoire. Commodafrica website. September 10. The National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA) reports SRI use in Gbon, Savanes district in northern Côte d'Ivoire, resulted in a 25% increase in production.]
• Idrissa, Silue. 2021. Securite alimentaire: Une nouvelle approche rizicole utilisee par les techniciens de l'ANADER. National Rural Development Support Agency (ANADER) website. February 1. [SRI farmers/ANADER staff in Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, have sharing event in 7 villages.]
• 2018. KOUAKOU Marcel, un modèle de réussite grâce à l’adoption du Système de Riziculture Intensive. FIRCA website. October 8. Success story of WAAPP farmer in Côte d’Ivoire.]
• Sylla, M., et al. 2017. Evaluation des pratiques de gestion des adventices en riziculture irriguee dans la localite de Daloa, centre-ouest de la Cote d’Ivoire. Agronomie Africaine 29(1); 49-64.
• 2017. Côte d’Ivoire/ Le SRI, une technique rizicole avantageuse présentée au SARA 2017 (Feature). Agrici.net. November 27.
• Mara, Hillary. 2016. The newest SRI champions: Farmers and extension agents in Côte d’Ivoire. SRI-Rice website, Features section. May 12. [SRI-Rice feature article based on report by Alphonse Bouet, National Facilitator of SRI-WAAPP Côte d’Ivoire]
• Tanoh, Armand. 2016. Côte d’Ivoire- Agriculture: Du matériel agricole pour des riziculteurs et femmes rurales du Sud-ouest. La Diplomatique d'Abidjan, April 13.
• Bouet, Alphonse. 2016. Rapport de synthese du test de pre-vulgarisation du Systeme de Riziculture Intensive en Côte d’Ivoire en 2015. SRI-Rice website. March. (85p., 3.07 MB pdf) [Report on SRI progress by the SRI-WAAPP/PPAAO project during 2015 in preparation for further extension activities in Côte d’Ivoire.]
• 2015. Agriculture: Les acteurs se concertent pour booster la productivité de la riziculture en Afrique de l’Ouest. abidjan.net. March 17.
• ANADER / FIRCA / CNRA. Rapport Atelier de Formation des Formateurs en SRI - version finale. SRI West Africa website. [Report (in French) of a training held in Yamoussoukro, February 23-25, 2015.]
  
  

Presentations

• 2015. SRI-WAAPP – Systeme de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) presentation de la Côte d’Ivoire. [French] Presentation at the SRI-WAAPP Regional Workshop, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 16-19 February, 2015. [Summary of SRI activities in Côte d’Ivoire in 2014]
1505 - Systeme de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) presentation de la Côte d’Ivoire from SRI-Rice, International Programs, CALS, Cornell University

 

Videos

• 2022. The Intensive Rice System (SRI), less expensive and more profitable. 4:55 min. Agribusiness TV channel, YouTube. [French with English subtitles. SRI in Côte d'Ivoire, with focus on Marcel Yao Kouakou, a model SRI farmer.]
• 2019. (May 17). T&P du 30-03-2019 : [1ère Partie] Système de Riziculture Intensive . 12:32 min. FIRCA channel, YouTube. [Video from Cote D'Ivorie. M. KOUAKOU Marcel est l’un des précurseurs en Côte d’Ivoire, producteur de riz vivant à Yamoussoukro] [accessed April 9, 2020.]
• 2015 (April 17). SRI in Côte d'Ivoire. 11:04 min. Produced by FIRCA. SRI-Rice channel, YouTube. [TV clip from the Ivory Coast FIRCA show Terre & Progrès]

Photos

• The Côte d'Ivoire Photo Collection was provided by Devon Jenkins, Erika Styger, and other members of the SRI-WAAPP Project . (See also SRI photos from ALL countries).