Rainfed upland rice, Madagascar

Case study Identity Card

Long title: Participatory assessment of the impact on livelihood of new cold tolerant upland rice varieties in Madagascar highlands
Geographical coverage of the case: highlands of Vakinankaratra region (altitude above 1300 m), Madagascar
Case study team: Louis Marie Raboin (CIRAD, Aïda), Alain Ramanantsoanirina (Fofifa), Marie Hélène Dabat (CIRAD, Art-dev), Paloma Breumier (Istom, Intern)
Years covered: 1984-2015

Case study description

The innovation under study: Rainfed upland rice breeding is impacting in the highlands of Madagascar

In the highlands of Madagascar, the lack of land available means farmers are obliged to grow rice on hillsides. In 1985, researchers from the University of Antananarivo, CIRAD and FOFIFA joined forces to create varieties suited to this upland production, which did not previously exist in Madagascar at altitudes of more than 1 300 metres. Around 20 varieties were created and disseminated from the 1990s onwards. They made it possible to push back the boundaries for upland rice cultivation to more than 1 800 metres and to ensure better food self-sufficiency for farmers. Thirty years after this process began, the researchers returned to the area to measure the impacts of their research.

In the Vakinankaratra region in the highlands of Madagascar, farmers traditionally grow irrigated rice. Pressure on land there is high and it is almost impossible to establish new rice paddies in the lowlands. The rice paddies inherited and shared for generations are becoming increasingly inadequate. In order to supplement their rice yields and to ensure they are self-sufficient, farmers are forced to cultivate hillside land, known as tanety , where they first tested upland rice cultivation in the early 1980s. But the lack of suitable varieties meant yields were too low and too uncertain for this crop to be profitable.

The early days of the plant breeding process

In 1985, researchers from the University of Antananarivo, CIRAD and FOFIFA, the Malagasy agricultural research institute, joined forces to create varieties that were both cold-tolerant and could be grown under rainfed conditions at altitudes of more than 1 300 metres.

This was the beginning of a lengthy process involving plant breeding, on-farm trials, seed multiplication and the dissemination of new varieties, supported by a number of different partners: research organisations, development projects and farmers’ associations.

The first upland rice varieties

Between 1994 and 1995, plant breeders disseminated the first six upland rice varieties created specifically for areas above an altitude of 1 300 metres. Seed was produced by a cooperative of producers and FIFAMANOR, a Malagasy-Norwegian research organisation, in collaboration with FOFIFA and CIRAD. These varieties were widely disseminated to farmers.

In 1998, this plant breeding process ended. Activities then focused on the promotion of varieties already created and their dissemination, but also on upland rice farming techniques. Numerous participatory variety trials were launched among farmers.

Priority to rice blast fungus resistance

In the early 2000s, a fungal disease affecting rice became a concern: rice blast fungus. It affected most of the varieties disseminated so far. The multiplication of certain highly sensitive varieties had to be halted. The plant breeding programme therefore recommenced with priority given to tolerance to this disease.

At that time, upland rice cultivation was already well established in the region. A survey conducted in 2005 among 843 farms in 26 villages situated at altitudes of more than 1 250 metres showed that 36% of those farms were growing upland rice.

The boom in upland rice

It was from 2006 onwards that upland rice really took off in the region, with the adoption of the Chhomrong Dhan variety.

This Nepalese irrigated rice variety, which was resistant to blast fungus, was introduced by researchers to be used in crossing. It proved to be very successful in upland rainfed conditions. By 2011, it already covered 83% of cultivated areas.

With the newly selected blast fungus-resistant varieties, it is at the origin of the boom in upland rice, which has been widely adopted by producers in the region. In the early 2010s, more than 70% of them were already growing this rice.

A multitude of partners to disseminate the varieties

Over the years, the researchers have worked with numerous different partners to disseminate the varieties they create, but also to share the appropriate farming practices. The participatory variety evaluation networks have operated continuously in farming areas. A large number of trials and demonstration sites have been set up by the institutions, development projects and farmers’ associations, which are also responsible for communicating on new varieties through radio programmes, participation in fairs, etc.

All of these initiatives are crucial to the success of the new varieties, even if most seed exchanges subsequently take place directly between farmers. However, an official seed production organisation has been set up to guarantee genetic purity: CIRAD and FOFIFA provide pre-basic seed; FIFAMANOR and CFAMA, a training centre, ensure basic seed multiplication: farmers, either within associations or not, then produce the seed; and ANCOS, a government department, inspects and certifies seed production.

Interviews to measure the impacts of the new varieties

In 2015, the researchers returned to the region to conduct a survey of 112 farms in four different villages. Lengthy interviews were required to more accurately identify the impacts of the new varieties according to the different categories of farms, from the smallest, which produce fewer than 30 kg of upland rice per person per year, to the largest, which produce more than 150 kg.

Growth in upland rice cultivation and rice yields

The first observation is that since its adoption, upland rice cultivation has grown substantially, with 85% of the farmers interviewed saying they have increased their acreage of upland rice, and 87% having seen their yields improve. Complementarity has also been observed between upland rice and irrigated rice, rather than a substitution: the very restrictive production conditions mean that none of the farmers say they produce enough rice.

The second observation is that rice production has increased, but the smallest farms, which are also the most numerous, have seen a far smaller improvement in their production than the others, with an increase of 35 kg per person per year.

A shorter lean season

The corollary of this increase in production, but also of the earliness of the new varieties, is that rice purchases during the lean season have diminished for all farmers, although, once again, the situation varies significantly depending on the type of farm, with some having become self-sufficient, while others continue to purchase rice throughout the year.

Peace of mind, a rather unexpected impact

For farmers, a shorter lean season guarantees “peace of mind”. And this peace of mind is critical to them, even more so than the material benefits derived from upland rice cultivation, whether the savings made on rice purchases or, for some, the profits made from rice sales.

In a very difficult context, with some families still obliged to sell rice to meet their immediate needs and to later buy rice at inflated prices during the lean season, these new varieties of upland rice have made a huge difference to the lives of farmers: they guarantee greater food self-sufficiency and enable farmers to free up money to develop other activities, such as livestock farming, and to invest in their farms.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders involved in the innovation process

Value chain stakeholders : farmers
Research stakeholders : FOFIFA, CIRAD, Antananarivo University
Civil society stakeholders : Caritas, Kobama, FAFAFI-SPAM, TAFA, IREDEC, Tsimoka, AVEAMM, Africa Rice, VFTV, CEFFEL, CPM-FTM, VMMV
Institutional stakeholders : DRDA, FIFAMANOR, CFAMA

Stakeholders impacted by the innovation process

Value chain stakeholders : farmers, rice husker owners