About
The Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project was launched in 2013. It is part of the program Agricultural Value Chains for Sustainable Development (A4SD). CARI has just started its second phase and is currently being implemented in four African countries (see interactive map). Rice is one of the most important staple crops in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past decades, demand for rice in the region has been growing faster than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, these increases in demand cannot be met by local or regional production. Average yields in Sub-Saharan Africa stagnate and lag far behind those of other rice producing areas. Moreover poor processing and marketing infrastructure, missing access to high quality inputs as well as weak markets disadvantage local production systems. As a result, the income of smallholders is low and most of the population depending on rice production live in poverty. Beyond that, Africa imports more rice than any other region globally. The goal of CARI is to significantly improve the livelihoods of rice farmers (30% female) and to increase the competitiveness of the domestic rice supply to meet the increasing regional demand, which is crucial for regional food security. In order to meet these goals, the project builds on strong partnerships with local public and private stakeholders. After a very successful conclusion of the first phase of the programme, the activities of CARI have been slightly adjusted and focus now on:
Especially the Matching Fund remains an important tool for the implementation of project activities.
