Recently, the Africa Rice Center (previously WARDA) and the Inland Valley Consortium started the RAP (Realizing the Agricultural Potential of inland valley lowlands in sub-Saharan Africa) project in collaboration with CIRAD, WUR and ICRA, that aims at:

Building inland valley multi-stakeholder platforms for capacity strengthening and institutional change and development
Analysis of opportunities and risks related to agricultural production and environmental goods and services
Development of innovative technologies that allow for sustainable intensification and diversification of land and water resources
Building competitive value chains for rice and vegetable crops enhancing market access for smallholder land and water users

Main target group: Resource-poor small-holder farmers and their organizations, local entrepreneurs (e.g. product processors and marketers).

Main service providers: Change agents from NARES and NGOs. They will be exposed to new methods dealing with INRM, co-learning and co-innovation, competitive product value chain development and multi-stakeholder platforms within the dynamic and diverse nature of inland valley systems.

The pilot phase of the project started off in February 2009 and will focus its activities on Mali and Benin for the first two years.

Research for development activities will be coordinated by the NARES through multi-stakeholder teams, with WUR, CIRAD, ICRA and WARDA providing training, backstopping and coordination.

ICRA will be specifically involved in the support to build inland valley multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) for capacity strengthening and institutional change & development, and to strengthen competitive value chains for rice and vegetable crops enhancing market access for smallholder land and water users.

Achievements to date

In March 2009, ICRA staff co-facilitated the launching workshops in Cotonou, Benin, and Sakasso, Mali. Together with Wageningen International, ICRA developed action plans for support to the realization of the MSPs. The support is through both Europe-based ICRA staff and through ICRA affiliates (alumni that are members of the NCST in both Mali and Benin.

Partners

Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD)

Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR)

Agricultural Research for Development in Africa (IITA)

National Agricultural Research Extension Systems (NARES), Mali and Benin