Since its creation in the mid-1990s, the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) has carved a special niche for itself among upland rice farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Today, it is a symbol of hope for food security in SSA—the most impoverished region in the world, where a staggering one-third of the people are undernourished, and half the population struggle to survive on US$1 a day or less. 

This hope stems from:

• NERICA’s unique combined assets: higher yield, shorter growth duration, resistance to local stresses and higher protein content than traditional rice varieties.

• NERICA’s relevance: Responds to the real needs of millions of upland or dryland rice farmers of SSA. 

• NERICA’s promise: Potential to alleviate the desperate food situation in the region and fuel SSA’s economy.

	NERICA is a technology  from Africa for Africa. It is perfectly adapted to the harsh growing environment and low-input conditions of upland rice ecologies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where smallholder farmers lack the means to irrigate and apply chemical fertilizers or pesticides. It responds even better to higher inputs.