1. Climate change Impacts and Strategies on Rice Production in Africa

• • Kofi Bimpong*, Baboucarr Manneh, Zwart Sander, Koichi Futakuchi & Takashi Kumashiro

• (* Molecular Biologist)

• Developing Climate-Smart Crops for a 2030 World Workshop

ILRI, Addis Ababa Ethiopia, December 6-8 2011

2. Overview

Introduction

Evidence of climate change in Africa

Current & Future impacts of climate change on rice production in Africa

Role of AfricaRice Center in adapting rice production to climate change in Africa

Conclusions & perspectives

3. Introduction Expected effect of Climate change (CC)on agriculturePredicted loss in Africa due to CC = 17-28 % Source: Cline 2007

Higher temperatures

Greater crop water demand

More variable rainfall &

Extreme climate events(e.g.: heat waves, increased salinity, floods & droughts)

4. Paradox of Agriculture to CC While agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to CC, it is also a major cause, directly accounting for about 14% of greenhouse gas emissions And yet, agriculture can be a part of the solution byHelping people to feed themselves & adapt to changing conditions while mitigating CC 5. Evidence of climate change in Africa 6. Rising temperatures

Temperatures rose by 0.6 C over most of Africa in 20 thcentury at 0.05 C/decade

Five warmest years last century observed since 1988

Mean surface air temperature anomalies for the African continent, 19011998 (Hulme et al., 2001) 7. Declining rainfall in a semi-arid continent

Most of Africa already considered as dry land

Most countries receive less than 500mm of rain annually

Map of rainfall zones in Africa 8. Effects of climate change on rice production in Africa 9. Climate change & rice production in Africa

Rice yieldslow in Africa relative to other regions of the world

Extent of yield loss due to CC will differ b/n rice production systems (rainfed lowland & upland, irrigated lowland, mangrove swamp & flooded)

Most vulnerable systems are rainfed uplands & lowlands (About 80% of total rice land in Africa)

10. Heat stress in rice production systems

All rice production systems will be exposed to heat stress but rainfed uplands are particularly vulnerable

Heat stress leads to high spikelet sterility, low tillering, stunting and accelerated development

Above 33 C sterility of rice drastically increases

Severe yield reduction often ensues

Grain quality (chalkiness) increases with high Temp.

11. Drought stress & rice production in Africa

Incidence & severity of drought expected to worsen with CC

In Africa crop failure due to drought occurs once every 5 years

Rainfed uplands & lowlands are most vulnerable

Irrigated lowlands with poor water control also face risks of droughts

12. Drought stress & rice production

Rice is particularly sensitive to moisture stress

Drought causes reduction in tillering, plant height, spikelet fertility & delays flowering

Leading to major yield loss

13. Flooding & submergence in rice production systems

Flooding in agricultural fields causes submergence of crops

Rice in inland valleys may be subject to water-logging following excessive rainfall or sudden floods

Submergence causes reduction in

plant growth leading to the death of rice plant

14. Salt stress & rice production

Rising temperatures due to CC induce high evapo-transpiration rates leading to salt accumulation in rice fields

During years of severe drought, salt-tongue in rivers intrudes further inland causing inundation of rice fields with saline water from tidal flows

Effects of salt stress on rice are similar to those of drought leading to lower yields

15. Role of rice in adapting to CC

Rice can be used to offset major impacts of CC

Main staple for many SSA & spreading

Rice demand growing fastest in Africa

Prod. much less than consumption

16.

Role of AfricaRice Center in adapting rice production to climate change in Africa

17. AfricaRice networks and climate change

STRASA & GSR (Gates Foundation): Salinity, Drought,submergence tolerance, some diseases and pest

Japan Breeding Program: Heat stress and Blast tolerance

MICCORDEA Project: Emerging diseases in Africa including blast & BLB)

GRiSP: Increasing resilience to CC and reducing global warming potential

18. Main Adaptive Strategies at AfricaRice againstClimate Change 19.

Short-term adjustments may be considered the first defence tools against CC and aims to optimise production with minor system changes through:

• The management of cropping systems

• The conservation of soil moisture

Main Adaptive Strategies at AfricaRiceShort Term 20.

The management of cropping systems considers:

• Changes in rice varieties (varieties with different thermal requirements, varieties with less variable yields)

• Introduction of greater diversity of rice cultivars

• Changes in agronomic practices (sowing/planting dates)

• Changesin fertiliser & pesticide use & Integrated approaches

Short Term cont..

The conservation of soil moisture considers:

• Integrated crop andNRM

• The management of irrigation (amount & efficiency)

21.

Long-termadaptationmay overcome adversity caused by CC through major structural system changes:

• Ideotype breedingto adapt to CC stresses (heat, salinity, water & disease,) much more rapidly than it possibly today

• Introduction & increase use of wide relatives of rice for greater diversity of cultivars

Main adaptive strategies at AfricaRice:

• Changes in nutrient management to reflect the modified growth and yield of crops, and also

Long Term

Creating favorablepolicyenvironments

22.

• Introduction & increase use of wide relatives of rice for greater diversity of cultivars

Brar et. al.

Insect resistance

Disease resistance

Tolerance to abiotic stresses

QTLs for yield

UsefulTraits O. ridleyi O. officinalis O. minuta O. brachyanta O. longistaminata O. rufipogon O. alta 23. Developing rice varieties with high temperature tolerance

MostO. glaberrimaacc. found to have higher leaf transpiration rates thanO. sativa

Under non-moisture limiting conditions this helps to dissipate heat faster from leaves

Peak period for blooming in rice is 11.00 a.m. when temperatures could exceed critical temperature of 33 C

Blooming in someO. glaberrimapeaks at 7.00-8.00 a.m.

Potentially very important escape strategy

24. Useful traits ofO. glaberrima Resistance to abiotic stress Resistance to biotic stress Weed competitive ability Rice yellow mottle virus Drought tolerance Blast Submergence tolerance Sheath blight Tolerance to acidity Nematode Salt tolerance Stem borer Iron toxicity Stalked eye fly Aluminium toxicity Bacterial leaf blight African gall midge 25. Genetic variation for drought tolerance in rice

Significant genetic variation exists in rice for most DT tolerance traits e.g. rapid leaf rolling, rapid stomatal closure, high WUE, OA, deep & thick roots

Some NERICAs considered as rice technology appropriate to a changing climate due to their earliness

26.

• Tolerance at germination & early seedling growth

During vegetative stage

• Short duration ( < 14 d)

• Submergence tolerance

• Longer duration (>2 wks)

• Higher level of tolerance (Higher regeneration ability)

• Stagnant water for few months (< 50 cm)

• Tolerance to water stagnation

• Elongation ability

Developing submergence tolerant rice 27. Developing salt tolerant rice germplasm

Both MAS and conventional approach been used to developed salinity tolerance varieities at both the vegetative & reproductive stages

Some important Traits been considered

Early vigor, high biomass , low root to shoot ratio, large LA & high HI

Na/K compartmentation

Salt exclusion

28. Adapting rice to climate change through NRM

AfricaRice developed an Integrated Crop Management tool ( RIDEV) for agro-climatic classification for crop & NRM in irrigated lowlands

RIDEV finds optimal combinations b/n individual technologies & natural resource conditions e.g. soil, water, climate, organisms

Use of modeling identified several management options that were evaluated with farmers

Resulted in increased yields in farmers fields in Mali & Senegal

29. Management strategies to reduce effects of CC on rice production

Water management very important in Africa especially in view of CC

Contour stone lines are effective in uplands in semi-arid areas (Niger, BF)

Reservoirs are useful in humid zone to permit double cropping

30. Management strategies for rice

To avoid submergence and reduce salt injury, farmers often transplant older seedlings

However, older seedlings suffer more from transplanting shock than younger seedlings

Development of Aerobic rice varieties

Shallow plowing to prevent bringing salts in subsoil to the topsoil

Regular flushing to reduce soil salinity to a manageable levels

Work at AfricaRice indicate double-cropped rice fields with drainage were least saline (Senegal)

31. Favorable policies to adapt rice production to CC

• Political & social stability

• Availability of Subsidy & ready market

• Protection against unfair trade practices

• Better infrastructure: road, irrigation; private sector involvement

• Price incentives for quality products; Credit to farmers

• Political commitment from the highest level

32. Conclusions and perspectives 33. Conclusions and perspectives

CC already impacting negatively on livelihoods in Africa

wide relatives of ricecan be a useful source of alleles for developing rice varieties tolerant to major abiotic stresses in SSA

Need for greater involvement of climatologists & GIS experts in developing climate-resilient rice technologies

There is a dire need to strengthen research capacities

O. glaberrima O. sativa NERICA 34. Thankyou! Merci! Center of Excellence for Rice Research