RiceAdvice Lite: Digital Advisory for Rice

Empowering Rice Farmers with RiceAdvice Lite

RiceAdvice Lite, an Android or web-based decision support tool developed by Excellence in Agronomy, offers personalized recommendations tailored to specific fields. These recommendations encompass optimal sowing timing, fertilizer management strategies, and a range of other best agricultural practices suitable for both irrigated and rainfed lowland rice cultivation.

This technology is pre-validated.

8•7

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 7/9

Project adoption

The technology has been integrated in the 2PAU project in Côte d’Ivoire and in the PADCV-PTA project in the region Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo).

2PAU – CI: Deployed across 246,870 hectares, targeting lead farmers and Master Trainers who cascade knowledge to other producers
PADCV-PTA – DRC: Targeting modern rice farmers and extension technicians (SNV), covering both irrigated and rainfed zones (35,000 hectares)

2PAU – CI: +USD 200M
PADCV-PTA – DRC: UA 236.44M

2PAU – CI: Aug 2022 – Dec 2023
PADCV-PTA (DRC): 2024–2029

2PAU – Côte d’Ivoire: coverage 246,870 hectares
PADCV-PTA – DRC: Coverage: 35,000 hectares

See project details ›

IP

Unknown

Problem

Fertilizer misuse: Inappropriate or excessive use of fertilizers can lead to nutrient imbalances in the soil, affecting crop growth and productivity. It can also result in environmental pollution and degradation.
Suboptimal rice management: Inefficient or ineffective management practices, such as improper irrigation, pest and disease control, and harvesting methods, can lead to reduced yields and lower quality rice production.
Impact on productivity and sustainability: These issues directly affect the overall productivity of rice cultivation, leading to lower yields and reduced agricultural output. Additionally, unsustainable practices can degrade soil health and ecosystem services over time, compromising the long-term sustainability of rice farming.
Risk to millions of people's food security: Given that rice is a staple food for millions of people, any decline in rice productivity due to fertilizer misuse and suboptimal management practices poses a significant risk to food security, potentially leading to shortages and increased food prices.

Solution

Site-specific fertilizer recommendations: Tailored advice on the type, amount, and timing of fertilizer application based on the specific characteristics and nutrient needs of individual rice fields. This ensures optimal nutrient management, reduces fertilizer waste, and improves soil fertility over time.
Optimal planting times: Guidance on the best times for sowing rice seeds to maximize yield potential. By planting at the right time, farmers can take advantage of favorable weather conditions and ensure proper crop establishment, leading to higher yields and better overall productivity.

Key points to design your business plan

"RiceAdvice Lite" is a digital application that transforms rice farming by providing personalized management recommendations. It effectively addresses common challenges of farmers like inefficient nutrient management and weed infestation resulting in increased agricultural productivity and profitability. To use this technology,

Download and Install: Access the RiceAdvice Lite app from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cocapacity.riceadvicelite ) on your smartphone or tablet. You can also use Web App (https://lite.riceadvice.info/seekadvice ).

Cost Structure Considerations:

Free Access: The app can be downloaded and used for free. However, farmers should consider the costs associated with acquiring smartphones and data plans necessary to run the app effectively.
Training Expenses: It's essential to allocate resources for training to ensure that farmers and extension agents can utilize the app efficiently.
Implementation Costs: Farmers should also factor in the costs associated with implementing the recommendations provided by the app, such as investing in fertilizers and weed management technologies.

Implementing the recommendations from RiceAdvice Lite can lead to significant profits. Farmers who have used the app should determine their profit.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

The poor: Positive low

Women: Positive low

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.

Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.

The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.

Scaling readiness score of this technology

Maturity of the idea 8 out of 9

Uncontrolled environment: tested

Level of use 7 out of 9

Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider

Maturity of the idea										Level of use
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9

Projet d’Appui au Développement des Chaînes de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture (PADCV-PTA)

Project funder: African Development Bank
Planned Budget: USD 311.609 million
Location: 6 provinces in Congo (Kongo Central, Kwango, Maï-Ndombe, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sud-Kivu)
Planned duration: 2024–2029
Deployment means: Direct access to improved seeds and planting materials, seed system strengthening (INERA, SENASEM, multipliers), Farmer Field Schools and demonstration plots (1,600 sites), strengthened public extension (SNV), training/capacity building, subsidized or cost-shared inputs and equipment, irrigation infrastructure (5,200 ha), rural road rehabilitation (600 km), contract farming and private sector partnerships
Project main implementer: Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Project Description: Implements the National Pact for Food and Agriculture (PNAA) using an integrated value chain approach combining technology access (seeds, practices), infrastructure development (irrigation, roads), extension services, farmer organization, finance, and market access to boost productivity, reduce imports, strengthen resilience, and structure agricultural value chains.
Objective: Restore national seed capital, scale improved and climate-resilient technologies, increase productivity, facilitate access to inputs/advisory/markets/finance, promote climate-smart agriculture, strengthen farmer organizations and value chain governance, reduce food imports, and enhance resilience to climate shocks and conflict.
Expected outcome: ~80% crop yield increase (rice, cassava, maize, soybean), 1.68 million tons/year additional production, expansion of irrigated rice, improved access to seeds/inputs, stronger farmer organizations, better post-harvest handling and market integration, increased private sector engagement, reduced food imports, improved national food security.
Figures of adoption: 900,000 farming households directly supported, ~295,000 ha cultivated with improved seeds, 5,200 ha irrigated rice, 600 km rural roads rehabilitated, 1,600 FFS/demonstration plots, 2 million households indirectly benefiting, +4.1 million tons private sector processing, ~1.68 million tons annual production increase
Profiles of adopters: Smallholder farmers, women farmers (100% of women-headed households in target areas), youth/agripreneurs, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Kivu, seed producers, cooperatives, farmer organizations/inter-professional associations, public extension services, local authorities
Lessons learnt: Infrastructure (irrigation, roads) and market access are critical for adoption, seed system reform is a bottleneck, contract farming/aggregation incentivizes adoption, combining inputs + extension + finance accelerates impact, governance and institutional coordination are key for scaling and sustainability

Emergency Food Production Programme in Côte d’Ivoire (2PAU-CI/AEFPF-CI)

Project funder: African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Government of Ivory Coast
Planned Budget: USD 163.3 million (AfDB loan) and USD 73 million (JICA loan)
Location: Ivory Coast – flood-sensitive areas and major agro-ecological zones (semi-arid to sub-humid)
Planned duration: Aug 2022 – Dec 2023
Deployment means: Distribution of certified seeds and fertilizers, Master Trainer/farmer training, demonstration plots, digital platforms (E-Voucher, ICT tools)
Project main implementer: Ministry of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MEMINADER)
Project Description: Emergency response to the global food crisis, providing smallholders with high-quality inputs and advisory services to ensure food sovereignty
Objective: Reduce cereal imports, boost domestic rice, maize, and cassava production, increase agricultural resilience to climate shocks
Expected outcome: 30% increase in food production; targeted yield increases (Rice: 4.5–9 t/ha; Maize: 2.5–6 t/ha)
Figures of adoption: 2,279 tons maize seeds, 3,539 tons rice seeds, 134.4 million cassava cuttings, covering 246,870 hectares
Profiles of adopters: 800,000 smallholder farmers; minimum 30% women; inclusion of youth and vulnerable groups
Lessons learnt: High fertilizer prices and climate risks constrain adoption; weak seed policy frameworks are a bottleneck; success relies on TAAT technologies and strong institutional partnerships (CNRA, ANADER)

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested
Countries with a blue colour: Testing ongoing

Countries where the technology is being tested or has been tested and adopted
Country	Testing ongoing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Sierra Leone	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 6: clean water and sanitation

RiceAdvice Lite can be used by following the procedures below:

Step 1: Download RiceAdvice Lite, Android App from Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cocapacity.riceadvicelite) on your smartphone or tablet. You can also use Web App (https://lite.riceadvice.info/seekadvice).

Step 2: Install RiceAdvice Lite on your smartphone or tablet.

Step 3: Following discussion between the extension agent or service and farmer, fill in the farmer’s personal farming conditions: Rice-growing conditions, typical practices, fertilizer type,

Step 4: Select yield targets based on the available budget or desired production level.

Step 5: Get personalized recommendations, including a optimal planting window and fertilizer application timing and rates, and other good agricultural practices.

Last updated on 10 April 2026