Rice farming is in Bedari Sissou’s blood. The 22-year-old from Bodjekali Village in Malanville District, 750 km north of Benin’s administrative capital Cotonou, was born into a rice farming family. After completing his schooling, when his peers headed off to the city to look for work, he decided to remain behind and follow in the family business. 

"I used to help my family when I was young," Sissou said. "They set aside half a hectare for me and since then, I made up my mind to be a farmer." The young farmer sees many opportunities in his village because his rice yield is rising. "I was able to buy a bike after we sold our rice [last season]. I want to be one of the best rice farmers in the country," he said. 

Rice - cultivated for more than 3,000 years in parts of Africa- is fast becoming a staple on much of the continent. It is easy to prepare, nutritious and makes a relatively affordable meal. And thanks to scientific research, improved varieties have boosted production, making rice an important cash crop for more than 35 million smallholders on the continent. 

With a 6-percent annual rise in rice consumption in Africa, it is good news for a continent experiencing economic growth but challenged by unemployment, especially for its booming and youthful population, like Sissou. The average age of Africa’s 1.2 billion people is 24 or lower. 

The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), a leading pan-African research organization created in 1971 to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security, says the rice sector has the potential to employ many of the 17 million young people, dubbed "youth dividends," who enter the Sub-Saharan Africa job market alone each year. 

Demand and supply 

Marco Wopereis, AfricaRice Deputy Director General and Director of Research for Development, said his organization is working with policymakers to perfect the rice development strategy and help Africa achieve almost 90 percent self-sufficiency in rice by 2020. This could help at least 11 million people, including rice farmers and processors, rise above the international poverty line. People living on less than $1.9 a day are regarded as living below the poverty line. 

Africa is consuming more rice than the over 14 million tons it produces. It makes up the shortfalls through imports, which cost more than $5 billion each year, a development of concern. 

"We will be wasting resources if we do not close the widening gap between demand and supply that is now filled by imports. Investing in the rice sector instead of sending money abroad will create jobs for the youth in Africa," said Wopereis. "But climate change is a big issue for farmers and we have to address that."

AfricaRice believes that the increasing role of rice in the food basket of African consumers has made it a political crop - capable of creating or destroying the political, social and economic stability of African nations. The 2008 food crisis, which led to increased national and multi-sectoral investment in rice development in many African countries, is a case in point. 

Wopereis said rice yields rose between 2007 and 2012 partially due to the roll-out of research technologies (resulting in better rice varieties) and better management practices (like fertilizer application) , and because of government support after the food crisis. Africa needs a clear investment plan from public and private sector players to boost the rice sector, he said. 

Bigger yields, more jobs 

Research by AfricaRice shows the adoption of New Rice for Africa, a hybrid variety, helped farmers increase their yields by 319 kg per hectare and subsequently, lifted more than 8 million people out of poverty in 16 countries in 2013.  

A major boost for rice development has been the introduction and promotion of innovation platforms (IPs). IPs are multi-stakeholder processes bringing together value chain actors with the aim of boosting information and knowledge sharing to enhance the adoption of technological solutions and institutional change.  

AfricaRice introduced the IPs under the Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa project funded by the African Development Bank. Two IPs, established in Glazoué and Malanville districts, have empowered about 1,000 women-run households. 

"The IPs are promoting value addition of local rice, which provides jobs for our young people. The preference for imported rice [took] away opportunities for youths to be employed in rice production, something the IPs are changing," said Dandakoe Inoussa, Mayor of Malanville. "People are jobless, but when we have our local rice, people are occupied and can show you where they are working and where they are living and you will observe their [rising] standard of living and from there, they gain dignity."

Through innovation and investment in the rice value chain, researchers are seeking a triple win of more rice, more jobs and more income for African farmers, said Sidi Sanyang, leader of the Rice Sector Development Program at AfricaRice. 

Addressing food shortage 

By implementing a cocktail of measures - such as providing access to land, credit, quality inputs and farm equipment - to attract its youthful population to the agriculture sector, Africa can solve its double challenges of chronic food shortages and unemployment. 

According to the Africa Agriculture Status Report 2015: Youth in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, developed by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the continent’s under-25s account for about 65 percent of the African population.  

"A continent with such vast holdings of arable land and a large and increasingly educated young workforce should be the envy of the world," said AGRA President Agnes Kalibata at the launch of the report in Zambia in November. "Instead, most Africans - including, ironically, millions of our farmers - are relying on imports to feed their families. And our growing population of young people, who should be a treasured resource for economic growth, are often labeled a ‘ticking time bomb’ for fear their lack of job prospects will generate instability." 

According to the World Bank, rising incomes in Africa’s rapidly expanding urban areas are generating a consumer food market that will be worth  

$1 trillion by 2030. Its demands could be met by farms and related agriculture business. 

The growing trend in rice production and consumption on the continent could be a part of this process.

(Reporting from Benin)