Impact of Nerica Rice on Rice-Farming Households' Welfare in Nigeria - Tapa blanda

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in most African countries. About 70% of rural population relies on subsistence agriculture as livelihood activity. However, the overall performance of agricultural production has not been impressive over the past decades. Improving the productivity of small scale rice farmers is essential to raise income, insure food security, alleviate poverty and consequently improved the welfare of smallholders' farmers. In this regards, the diffusion and adoption of New Rice for Africa Variety (NERICA) which is one of the most significant advances in crop improvement in Africa in recent years developed by AfricaRice and its National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) partners in the mid-90s was seen as a step towards the achievement of these objective in Africa as a whole and in Nigeria in particular. A total of 78 NERICA varieties including 18 for upland and 60 for lowland growing conditions have been developed and introduced in many African countries including Nigeria since 1999 through PVS, but were officially released in 2003 in Nigeria. However, there is dearth of information on their adoption rate and impact on welfare in Nigeria.

Paul M. DONTSOP NGUEZET is Cameroonian and is currently with The Africa Rice Centre. He graduated in 2011 from University of Ibadan, Nigeria, with a PhD in Agricultural Economics. He has dual Master degrees both in Economics (2001) from The University of Yaoundé II (SOA), Cameroon and Agricultural Economics (2006) from University of Ibadan, Nigeria