ARICA: Advanced rice varieties for Africa

Arica rice, the high yield, disease and stress tolerant rice

Hybrid ARICA lines are distinguished by their high yield potential, and tolerance/resistance to diseases and pests, such as blast, bacterial leaf blight, rice yellow mottle virus, as well as abiotic stresses like drought, flooding, iron toxicity, cold and salinity. Breeders employ a three-line system to develop ARICA hybrid lines, involving backcrossing which gives new cytoplasmic male sterile germplasm with good agronomic, next to outcrossing characteristics to obtain high seed yield, as well as test-crossing and microsatellite screening for identifying suitable restorer lines. A two-line breeding system for ARICA varieties is in place that relies on environmental genetic male sterility and has shown to achieve similar performance like the three-line system while being more economical. For breeding lines to be nominated as ARICA it must consistently and significantly out-yield the best checks in at least one site over at least three seasons and possess acceptable grain quality. In other words, it must represent significant improvement on the current best variety. Extensive field validation has shown that the productivity of ARICA 1, ARICA 2 and ARICA 3 is respectively 20 - 44%, 50 - 111%, and 2 - 69% greater than for NERICA-L 19 which is in wide use by African farmers.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

7•7

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

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

ARICA’s higher yields and resilience mean fewer replanting cycles due to losses, improving farm efficiency and enabling better economic returns.

The poor: Positive medium

Reduced input needs due to disease and pest resistance lower costs, making it more feasible for low-income farmers to maintain productive crops and break cycles of poverty through more reliable harvests.

Under 18: Positive medium

Its reliability is crucial for children and youth, whose growth and development depend on stable, nutrient-rich diets.

Women: Positive high

The improved yield and disease resistance mean less labor-intensive crop management and fewer losses, potentially freeing time for women to engage in other income-generating activities.

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Its adaptability helps ensure stable yields even in adverse weather, making rice farming more climate-resilient and reducing the likelihood of crop failures under variable conditions.

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

By offering rice varieties that tolerate environmental stresses and common pests, ARICA technology equips farmers with tools to face climate variability confidently.

Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

ARICA's resilience to disease may lessen the frequency of pesticide applications, indirectly reducing emissions associated with their production and application.

Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health

Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility

Water use: Same amount of water used

ARICA's drought-tolerant lines allow farmers to produce rice with less dependence on consistent water sources, thus conserving water resources.

Problem

Low Productivity: Many traditional rice varieties in Africa have low yield potential, leading to insufficient production to meet local demand.
Susceptibility to Pests and Diseases: Common rice diseases such as blast, bacterial leaf blight, and rice yellow mottle virus, as well as pests, significantly reduce yields and threaten food security.
Abiotic Stresses: Variability in environmental conditions, including drought, flooding, iron toxicity, cold, and salinity, pose significant challenges to rice cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting crop growth and productivity.
Limited Adaptation: Traditional rice varieties often struggle to adapt to diverse agroecosystems across the region, resulting in suboptimal performance and reduced resilience to environmental stressors.

Solution

High Yield Potential: ARICA varieties offer higher yield potential compared to traditional varieties, boosting productivity and increasing agricultural profitability.
Disease and Pest Resistance: ARICA lines are bred for tolerance or resistance to common rice diseases and pests, reducing crop losses and ensuring more stable yields.
Abiotic Stress Tolerance: ARICA hybrids are developed to withstand various environmental stresses, such as drought, flooding, and salinity, ensuring more consistent yields even under adverse conditions.
Adaptability: ARICA varieties are designed to thrive in diverse agroecosystems, from lowland to highland areas and dry to wet climates, offering farmers more flexibility and resilience in their cropping systems.
Specialty Traits: Certain ARICA lines possess specialized traits, such as drought resistance, iron toxicity tolerance, and cold tolerance, allowing farmers to address specific challenges in their local and regional contexts.

Key points to design your program

A High-Yield Rice Solution for Africa’s Farmers

The ARICA rice varieties are uniquely tailored to Africa’s challenging growing environments, offering significantly higher yields, robust disease resistance, and the grain quality preferred by local markets.

Tested in 30 countries and involving over 3,000 farmers, ARICA’s success is a testament to the rigorous field trials and collaborative breeding efforts across Africa.

ARICA varieties directly support the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 by raising farmer incomes, SDG 2 by enhancing food security, and SDG 13 by fostering climate-resilient agriculture.

As a cornerstone in the Rice Innovation Toolkit, ARICA varieties complement practices like Nitrogen management for Efficient Rice Fertilization; Foliar micronutrient addition for healthier rice and Motorized weeders for rice production to maximize yield, quality, and sustainability.

Cost: $$$ 0,8 - 1,2 USD

Initial cost of a Kg of seed

ROI: $$$ 40 %

Increase in yield (income)

356 USD

Planting, maintenance, harvesting and winnowing

50 - 111 %

Potential yield

IP

Open source / open access

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
Benin	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Burkina Faso	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Côte d’Ivoire	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Equatorial Guinea	–No ongoing testing	–Not tested	Adopted
Ethiopia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Gambia	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Ghana	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Guinea-Bissau	–No ongoing testing	Tested	–Not adopted
Kenya	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mali	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Mauritania	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Nigeria	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Senegal	–No ongoing testing	Tested	Adopted
Uganda	–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 1: no poverty

By increasing rice yields and resilience to climate stress, ARICA varieties enhance farmer incomes and contribute to poverty reduction, especially for smallholder farmers who rely on rice production for their livelihoods.

Goal 2: zero hunger

The high yield potential of ARICA varieties directly supports food security by increasing rice production, a staple crop in many African countries.

Goal 8: decent work and economic growth

With ARICA’s increased productivity, rice farming becomes more economically viable, supporting job creation and economic growth in rural areas.

Goal 12: responsible production and consumption

ARICA's pest and disease resistance reduces the need for pesticides and other chemical inputs, supporting more environmentally responsible agricultural practices.

Goal 13: climate action

Climate-resilient traits in ARICA varieties, such as tolerance to drought and flooding, enable farmers to adapt to climate change more effectively.

Goal 15: life on land

ARICA helps protect ecosystems by reducing the need to expand farmland into natural habitats.

ARICA varieties are cultivated exactly like common rice varieties. For optimal results, follow best soil and fertilizer management prescribed for particular growing areas:
These varieties can be planted manually or mechanically or through transplanting of seedlings from seedbeds into fields.
Fields are usually divided into lines or rectangles by constructing bunds which increases rain water accumulation and improves drainage.