RRCoE Participates in ASARECA Assembly and Exhibitions

The Rice Regional of Excellence (RRCoE) participated in scientific exhibitions to commemorate the Second ASARECA General Assembly that was held on 9-13 December 2013 in Bujumbura-Burundi. The RRCoE participated under the auspices of the Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP) along with other three EAAPP participating countries, namely, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. All four EAAPP commodities (rice, cassava, wheat and dairy) plus Training and Dissemination sub-Component were displayed in form of posters, scientific banners and leaflets. 

A poster on wheat research project

Participatory Variety Selection performed by researchers, extension staff and rice farmers
(source: N.J.Kibanda)

Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Program

The Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP) has its Origins from the Vision of the African heads of states that through the New Partership for Africa Development (NEPAD) set the Millenium Development Goals of halving hunger and poverty in Africa by 2015 through sustained economic growth of about 6 percent annually for 12 years. It also called for greater focus on improving agricultural productivity and increasing the effectiveness of technology Generation and Dissemination. This reqiured identification of the Sub-sectors that had the greatest potential to drive growth and reduce poverty. That potential was noted to lie in commodities that have large production base and large growing demand in the region.

EAAPP is designed to invest in regional approaches to agricultural research through supporting the strengthening and scaling up of agricultural research in Eastern Africa, focusing on Dairy, Wheat, Cassava and Rice.

The Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP) embeds four regional projects namely Regional Centres of Excellency (RCoEs) for rice, cassava, wheat and diary, which are hosted in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya respectively. The four projects aim to contribute to the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (CAADP)’s Pillar IV. Each RCoEs focuses on addressing constraints along the value chain of a particular commodity to serve for the national and regional social and economic growth. This regional initiative is coordinated by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) while project activities are coordinated by specific commodity centres of excellence. A multi-institutional approach is employed through designated RCoEs, focusing on investing in agricultural research and development through:

-Strengthening each centre of excellence with its commodity
-Technology generation, training and dissemination
-Improved availability of seeds and breeds
-Coordination and management.

Regional Rice Centre of Excellence

Tanzania hosts the Regional Rice Centre of Excellence (RRCoE) at the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI)-KATRIN, in Ifakara-Kilombero, Morogoro Region. The RRCoE is operationalized in a network model involving, inter alia, some institutions under the Division of Research and Development (DRD) of the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC). Apart from ARI-KATRIN, these include ARI-Dakawa (responsible for integrated pest management, IPM), ARI-Mikocheni (biotechnology and post-harvest aspects), ARI-Ukiriguru (soils and water), ARI-Uyole (agricultural mechanization) and Kizimbani-Zanzibar (agronomy). The network takes leading role in rice technology generation, dissemination and training on a regional basis. At the same time, it facilitates collaboration of relevant research and development institutions in Tanzania and with other RCoEs on wheat, cassava and dairy research -- focusing on agreed specific regional thematic priority areas. Other key participating institutions are listed under the EAAPP-RRCoE Implementing and Collaborating Institutions Section.

Goal
The overall goal of RRCoE is to enhance sustainable productivity, value added and competitiveness in the sub-regional agricultural system.

Objectives
The main objectives of RRCoE are to:
-enhance regional specialization and collaboration in rice research
-carry out training and technology dissemination.
-facilitate increased transfer of rice technology, information and knowledge across four countries.

Screening F1&F2 plants for biotic and abiotic stress reactions at KATRIN (Source: N. J. Kibanda)