TAAT e-catalog
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government
https://taat.africa/gov/technologies/arica-advanced-rice-varieties-for-africa
Arica rice, the high yield, disease and stress tolerant rice
Hybrid ARICA lines are distinguished by their high yield potential, and tolerance/resistance to diseases and pests, such as blast, bacterial leaf blight, rice yellow mottle virus, as well as abiotic stresses like drought, flooding, iron toxicity, cold and salinity. Breeders employ a three-line system to develop ARICA hybrid lines, involving backcrossing which gives new cytoplasmic male sterile germplasm with good agronomic, next to outcrossing characteristics to obtain high seed yield, as well as test-crossing and microsatellite screening for identifying suitable restorer lines. A two-line breeding system for ARICA varieties is in place that relies on environmental genetic male sterility and has shown to achieve similar performance like the three-line system while being more economical. For breeding lines to be nominated as ARICA it must consistently and significantly out-yield the best checks in at least one site over at least three seasons and possess acceptable grain quality. In other words, it must represent significant improvement on the current best variety. Extensive field validation has shown that the productivity of ARICA 1, ARICA 2 and ARICA 3 is respectively 20 - 44%, 50 - 111%, and 2 - 69% greater than for NERICA-L 19 which is in wide use by African farmers.
This technology is TAAT1 validated.
Adults 18 and over: Positive high
ARICA’s higher yields and resilience mean fewer replanting cycles due to losses, improving farm efficiency and enabling better economic returns.
The poor: Positive medium
Reduced input needs due to disease and pest resistance lower costs, making it more feasible for low-income farmers to maintain productive crops and break cycles of poverty through more reliable harvests.
Under 18: Positive medium
Its reliability is crucial for children and youth, whose growth and development depend on stable, nutrient-rich diets.
Women: Positive high
The improved yield and disease resistance mean less labor-intensive crop management and fewer losses, potentially freeing time for women to engage in other income-generating activities.
Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable
Its adaptability helps ensure stable yields even in adverse weather, making rice farming more climate-resilient and reducing the likelihood of crop failures under variable conditions.
Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement
By offering rice varieties that tolerate environmental stresses and common pests, ARICA technology equips farmers with tools to face climate variability confidently.
Biodiversity: No impact on biodiversity
Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released
ARICA's resilience to disease may lessen the frequency of pesticide applications, indirectly reducing emissions associated with their production and application.
Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health
Soil quality: Does not affect soil health and fertility
Water use: Same amount of water used
ARICA's drought-tolerant lines allow farmers to produce rice with less dependence on consistent water sources, thus conserving water resources.
Low Productivity: Many traditional rice varieties in Africa have low yield potential, leading to insufficient production to meet local demand.
Susceptibility to Pests and Diseases: Common rice diseases such as blast, bacterial leaf blight, and rice yellow mottle virus, as well as pests, significantly reduce yields and threaten food security.
Abiotic Stresses: Variability in environmental conditions, including drought, flooding, iron toxicity, cold, and salinity, pose significant challenges to rice cultivation in Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting crop growth and productivity.
Limited Adaptation: Traditional rice varieties often struggle to adapt to diverse agroecosystems across the region, resulting in suboptimal performance and reduced resilience to environmental stressors.
High Yield Potential: ARICA varieties offer higher yield potential compared to traditional varieties, boosting productivity and increasing agricultural profitability.
Disease and Pest Resistance: ARICA lines are bred for tolerance or resistance to common rice diseases and pests, reducing crop losses and ensuring more stable yields.
Abiotic Stress Tolerance: ARICA hybrids are developed to withstand various environmental stresses, such as drought, flooding, and salinity, ensuring more consistent yields even under adverse conditions.
Adaptability: ARICA varieties are designed to thrive in diverse agroecosystems, from lowland to highland areas and dry to wet climates, offering farmers more flexibility and resilience in their cropping systems.
Specialty Traits: Certain ARICA lines possess specialized traits, such as drought resistance, iron toxicity tolerance, and cold tolerance, allowing farmers to address specific challenges in their local and regional contexts.
The adoption of ARICA lines contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by enhancing food security through increased rice productivity, SDG 1 (No Poverty) by improving income opportunities for rice farmers, and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices.
To successfully incorporate the Advanced Rice Varieties for Africa (ARICA) into your project, the following activities and requirements should be considered:
A team of trainers could provide training and support during project installation. Include the cost for training and post-training support for using the technology.
Communication support for the promotion of the technology should be developed (flyers, videos, radio broadcasts, etc.)
In tandem with this technology, accompanying solutions include:
Deep urea placement (nitrogen management), Foliar micronutrient addition, Engineered irrigation surfacing (and water lifting), Motorized weeders (cut and burry paddy weeds), RiceAdvice digital support.
Consider the specicifity of each ARICA varieites:
| Varieties | Agro-ecology | Stade of maturity | Yield kgha-1 | Nutritious traits |
| ARICA 1 | Lowland | 101 | 6005 | Firm Texture |
| ARICA 2 | Lowland | 101 | 6674 | Firm Texture |
| ARICA 3 | Lowland | 101 | 7895 | Firm Texture |
| ARICA 4 | Upland | 120 | 4500 | Medium Texture |
| ARICA 5 | Upland | 110 | 3800 | Medium Texture |
| ARICA 6 | Lowland | 115 | 10000 | |
| ARICA 7 | Lowland | 119 | 12000 |
Planting, maintenance, harvesting and winnowing
Potential yield
Open source / open access
Scaling Readiness describes how complete a technology’s development is and its ability to be scaled. It produces a score that measures a technology’s readiness along two axes: the level of maturity of the idea itself, and the level to which the technology has been used so far.
Each axis goes from 0 to 9 where 9 is the “ready-to-scale” status. For each technology profile in the e-catalogs we have documented the scaling readiness status from evidence given by the technology providers. The e-catalogs only showcase technologies for which the scaling readiness score is at least 8 for maturity of the idea and 7 for the level of use.
The graph below represents visually the scaling readiness status for this technology, you can see the label of each level by hovering your mouse cursor on the number.
Read more about scaling readiness ›
Semi-controlled environment: prototype
Common use by projects NOT connected to technology provider
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Enabling Environments for Sustainable Regional Agriculture Extension (ENSURE)
Project funder: African Development Bank & East Africa Community
Planned Budget: USD 13.14 million
Location: East African Community (Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda)
Planned duration: 2024–2027
Deployment means: On-farm demonstrations, training, digital tools (SMS, IVR, video, radio, pictorial guides), bundled inputs + advisory services, Training of Trainers (ToT)
Project main implementer: East African Community (EAC)
Project Description: Strengthen agricultural extension systems using digital tools, private-sector approaches, regional coordination, and multi-commodity focus (maize, cassava, rice, drought-resilient crops).
Objective: Promote regional extension, enhance advisory services, scale climate-smart technologies, build sustainable private sector–led extension systems, strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks.
Expected outcome: Increased adoption of improved technologies, improved farmer productivity and profitability, enhanced access to quality inputs and pest management solutions, strengthened resilience to climate and pest risks, regional market integration, job creation for youth and agripreneurs.
Figures of adoption: Target 3 million farmers reached over 4 years, digital extension pilots in 7 EAC states, training of extension agents, lead farmers, cooperatives, and youth agripreneurs, rollout of Pest Information Management Systems (PIMS).
Profiles of adopters: Smallholder farmers, women, youth agripreneurs, cooperatives and producer organizations, public and private extension agents, National Plant Protection Officers (NPPOs).
Lessons learnt: System-level approaches needed beyond technology delivery, digital tools most effective with in-person facilitation, supportive policy/regulatory environment critical, regional harmonization boosts scalability and cross-border diffusion of technologies.
Projet d’Appui au Développement des Chaînes de Valeurs en soutien au Programme de Transformation de l’Agriculture (PADCV-PTA)
Project funder: African Development Bank
Planned Budget: USD 311.609 million
Location: 6 provinces in Congo (Kongo Central, Kwango, Maï-Ndombe, Kasaï Oriental, Lomami, Sud-Kivu)
Planned duration: 2024–2029
Deployment means: Direct access to improved seeds and planting materials, seed system strengthening (INERA, SENASEM, multipliers), Farmer Field Schools and demonstration plots (1,600 sites), strengthened public extension (SNV), training/capacity building, subsidized or cost-shared inputs and equipment, irrigation infrastructure (5,200 ha), rural road rehabilitation (600 km), contract farming and private sector partnerships
Project main implementer: Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Project Description: Implements the National Pact for Food and Agriculture (PNAA) using an integrated value chain approach combining technology access (seeds, practices), infrastructure development (irrigation, roads), extension services, farmer organization, finance, and market access to boost productivity, reduce imports, strengthen resilience, and structure agricultural value chains.
Objective: Restore national seed capital, scale improved and climate-resilient technologies, increase productivity, facilitate access to inputs/advisory/markets/finance, promote climate-smart agriculture, strengthen farmer organizations and value chain governance, reduce food imports, and enhance resilience to climate shocks and conflict.
Expected outcome: ~80% crop yield increase (rice, cassava, maize, soybean), 1.68 million tons/year additional production, expansion of irrigated rice, improved access to seeds/inputs, stronger farmer organizations, better post-harvest handling and market integration, increased private sector engagement, reduced food imports, improved national food security.
Figures of adoption: 900,000 farming households directly supported, ~295,000 ha cultivated with improved seeds, 5,200 ha irrigated rice, 600 km rural roads rehabilitated, 1,600 FFS/demonstration plots, 2 million households indirectly benefiting, +4.1 million tons private sector processing, ~1.68 million tons annual production increase
Profiles of adopters: Smallholder farmers, women farmers (100% of women-headed households in target areas), youth/agripreneurs, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Kivu, seed producers, cooperatives, farmer organizations/inter-professional associations, public extension services, local authorities
Lessons learnt: Infrastructure (irrigation, roads) and market access are critical for adoption, seed system reform is a bottleneck, contract farming/aggregation incentivizes adoption, combining inputs + extension + finance accelerates impact, governance and institutional coordination are key for scaling and sustainability
Projet d'Urgence de Production et de Sécurite Alimentaire & Nutritionnelle (PUPSAN/AEFPF)
Emergency Food Production Programme in Côte d’Ivoire (2PAU-CI/AEFPF-CI)
Emergency Food Production Project (Projet de Production Alimentaire d’Urgence - PPAU)
Constraints: High international input prices, climate vulnerability
Success factors: Strong existing UGP (PATAG-EAJ), e-Voucher digitalization for transparency, TAAT technical support for rapid multiplication technologies (SAH)
Improving Rice Productivity by Decarbonizing Cultivation for 12,000 Hectares of Irrigated Paddy Fields in Republic of Benin
Success factors: AI-powered real-time data analysis, strong public-private partnerships, integration of carbon sequestration incentives
Insights: Bundling climate-smart technologies with regenerative practices is critical for climate mitigation and food security
| Country | Testing ongoing | Tested | Adopted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Burkina Faso | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Côte d’Ivoire | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Equatorial Guinea | –No ongoing testing | –Not tested | Adopted |
| Ethiopia | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Gambia | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Ghana | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Guinea-Bissau | –No ongoing testing | Tested | –Not adopted |
| Kenya | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Mali | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Mauritania | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Nigeria | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Senegal | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
| Uganda | –No ongoing testing | Tested | Adopted |
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.
| AEZ | Subtropic - warm | Subtropic - cool | Tropic - warm | Tropic - cool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arid | ||||
| Semiarid | ||||
| Subhumid | ||||
| Humid |
Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.
By increasing rice yields and resilience to climate stress, ARICA varieties enhance farmer incomes and contribute to poverty reduction, especially for smallholder farmers who rely on rice production for their livelihoods.
The high yield potential of ARICA varieties directly supports food security by increasing rice production, a staple crop in many African countries.
With ARICA’s increased productivity, rice farming becomes more economically viable, supporting job creation and economic growth in rural areas.
ARICA's pest and disease resistance reduces the need for pesticides and other chemical inputs, supporting more environmentally responsible agricultural practices.
Climate-resilient traits in ARICA varieties, such as tolerance to drought and flooding, enable farmers to adapt to climate change more effectively.
ARICA helps protect ecosystems by reducing the need to expand farmland into natural habitats.
ARICA varieties are cultivated exactly like common rice varieties. For optimal results, follow best soil and fertilizer management prescribed for particular growing areas:
These varieties can be planted manually or mechanically or through transplanting of seedlings from seedbeds into fields.
Fields are usually divided into lines or rectangles by constructing bunds which increases rain water accumulation and improves drainage.
Last updated on 8 April 2026
This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones.
ARICA: Advanced rice varieties for Africa
https://taat.africa/gov/technologies/arica-advanced-rice-varieties-for-africa
Last updated on 8 April 2026, printed on 10 April 2026
Enquiries e-catalogs@taat.africa
