My Journey Toward Advancing Drought-tolerant Rice in Africa

I grew up in a farming community where agriculture shaped everyday life. The persistence of my family, most of whom were farmers, guided my academic path. Observing how climatic variability strained their efforts led me to agricultural sciences, particularly crop improvement and agronomy. From early on, I understood that rigorous science can transform traditional practices into sustainable, productive systems that protect livelihoods.

I currently serve as a Tutorial Assistant in Agricultural Botany. This role has deepened my commitment to research drought tolerance in rice because it addresses a central constraint to productivity and a central risk to household income in Africa’s rainfed and irrigated landscapes. My research interest is developing and delivering climate-resilient germplasm and agronomic packages that maintain yield even with scarce water supply, while remaining feasible for smallholders. The approach combines phenotyping for drought tolerance, geospatial targeting for variety placement, and seed system strengthening so that improved options reach both women and men equitably (International Rice Research Institute [IRRI], 2024).

This focus directly supports the Climate-resilient and Eco-friendly Rice for Africa initiative. The project advances resilient and eco-efficient rice systems through evidence-based technologies. My contribution is to connect trait discovery and on-farm validation with delivery science. In practice, this includes co-designing on-farm trials for drought-tolerant lines, linking seasonal advisories to variety of choice and planting windows, and collaborating with local multipliers so that quality seed flows efficiently to priority environments. These steps are consistent with current IRRI efforts that couple stress-tolerant rice with climate-risk mapping and targeted dissemination in Tanzania (IRRI, 2024).

The importance of this problem is evident in my national and local context. Tanzania is among Sub-Saharan Africa’s larger rice producers, with milled output reported at about 2.45 million metric tons in 2023/24 and 2.52 million metric tons projected for 2024/25. Harvested area is approximately 1.10 to 1.13 million hectares and average yields about 3.33 to 3.39 tons per hectare on a rough basis (U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service [USDA-FAS], 2025). Despite this scale, production is highly exposed to water risk. Only about 289,386 hectares were irrigated in 2019/20, which represented roughly 2.3 percent of the total planted area nationally (National Bureau of Statistics [NBS] & Office of the Chief Government Statistician [OCGS], 2021). Sector strategies note that more than 70 percent of Tanzania’s rice area is rainfed, which concentrates vulnerability to rainfall variability and dry spells (Ministry of Agriculture, 2021). Over the past three decades, the country has experienced at least six major droughts, underscoring the systemic nature of water shortages (World Bank/CIWA, 2021). These constraints periodically require market management; for example, the Government of Tanzania issued about 150,000 metric tons of rice import quotas in 2024 to stabilize supply (USDA-FAS, 2025). This means that without innovations in climate-resilient rice, food insecurity and economic vulnerability will continue to rise. Addressing this challenge through science-based solutions is, therefore, both a national priority and a personal calling.

Drought-tolerant rice varieties reduce the need for intensive irrigation by lowering pressure on water resources while maintaining productivity. This adaptation strategy directly improves farmers’ capacity to withstand climate shocks. Moreover, eco-friendly practices associated with such varieties as reduced fertilizer use and sustainable water management can help minimize greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to mitigation efforts. Recent syntheses report substantial water savings and notable reductions in methane emissions when Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is correctly implemented and monitored, often without compromising yield (Gao et al., 2024; Li et al., 2024).

As a member of this project, I expect to sharpen my skills in plant breeding, molecular biology, and eco-friendly agronomic practices, while also learning from interdisciplinary collaboration across countries and contexts. I hope to contribute not only through scientific research but also by bridging knowledge between the laboratory and farming communities. My vision is to emerge from this experience as a researcher equipped to lead innovation for climate-resilient agriculture, ensuring that smallholder farmers especially women are not left behind in the fight against climate change.

In conclusion, my academic interest in African rice drought tolerance, combined with my professional background and personal motivation, strongly aligns with the goals of the project. By addressing a pressing local and continental challenge, promoting gender equity, and advancing climate-smart innovations, I am committed to contributing meaningfully to the success of this project.

I grew up in a small district called Maswa, situated in the northern part of Tanzania, south-east of Lake Victoria. I was raised by my mother. She was a nurse but also a smallholder farmer. She cultivated rice and maize at our farm located around our home. Just like other smallholder farmers, my mother faced many challenges, such as unpredictable weather patterns, use of old, traditional varieties, limited access to inputs, and poor local soil knowledge. Growing up with my mother exposed me to the most traditional ways of cultivating rice and the challenges they faced. The whole experience basically drove my desire to one day become an agricultural researcher; hence, I chose to pursue a BSc in Agronomy.

I got employed as a Junior Agronomist at a coffee producing company called Ngila Estate Ltd., situated in Tanzania’s Karatu district. I worked under the principles of climate-smart agriculture and was presented with a certification by the Rainforest Alliance. I also worked in the Department of Pest Scouting and Control. As an agronomist, I practically performed soil sampling for pH and nutrient analysis and recommended the best ways to solve pH and nutrient imbalances. I did research based on the effectiveness of biochar as a soil amendment and the effectiveness of local lime sulphur on treating leaf rust and coffee berry disease.

As a Climate-resilient and Eco-friendly Rice for Africa (CERA) Master’s student, my study area is focused on climate adaptation objectives using agronomic technologies. It addresses the urgent challenge of sustaining rice production in drought-prone areas.

Rice is the second most important commercial and food crop in Tanzania after maize. More than 18% of households rely on rice as a staple, and the sector provides livelihoods for over 2 million smallholder farmers (URT, 2020). Tanzania is the second largest producer of rice in Southern Africa after Madagascar, with a production level of 818,000 tons (JICA 2007). However, Tanzanian rice productivity is lower than most of its neighboring countries and one of the weakest in the world (European Union, 2010). About 71% of the rice in Tanzania is produced under rainfed conditions, while irrigated land accounts for 29% of the total, with most of it in small village-level traditional irrigations, making it highly vulnerable to drought and erratic rainfall. Studies indicate drought stress can reduce yields by 40–60%, particularly in semi-arid regions such as Shinyanga, Dodoma, and Morogoro (AfricaRice, 2021). Paddy rice cultivation is one of the most important sources of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) (IPCC 2014; Arunrat et al., 2018), and is the major driving force for climate change (Smith et al., 2014).

This makes the problem statement highly significant in the national context. Thus by promoting various agronomic strategies like water management practices, particularly promoting intermittent drainage and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) (Minamikawa and Yagi, 2009), system of rice intensification (SRI) (Gathorne et al., 2013), improving organic management by composting, using rice cultivars with few unproductive tillers, high root oxidative activity, and high harvest index (Zheng et al., 2014), application of fermented manure like biogas slurry (Petersen, 2018), incorporation of biochar and adopting direct-seeding of rice (DSR) (Susilawati et al., 2019) will contribute to closing Tanzania’s rice yield gap, improving resilience in smallholder systems, mitigating GHGs and supporting national strategies for climate adaptation and food self-sufficiency.

As a member of the project, I intend to contribute by addressing gender equity and climate change challenges. Women provide more than half of the labor in rice farming in Tanzania, yet they face barriers to resources and training. By ensuring their active involvement in agronomic research and farmer training and promoting labor-saving, climate-smart technologies, I aim to reduce gender gaps and empower women farmers economically and socially.

On climate change, my focus is on promoting adaptation strategies such as drought-tolerant varieties, water-saving irrigation methods, and soil fertility management to safeguard yields in drought-prone regions. I will also emphasize mitigation practices, including eco-friendly soil amendments, biochar, conservation tillage, and reduced reliance on synthetic fertilizers, which can lower greenhouse gas emissions. These contributions will help build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable rice systems that align with national food security and climate goals.

I expect to enhance my knowledge and skills in climate-smart and eco-friendly rice production, particularly in developing practical solutions for drought-prone areas. I look forward to contributing to scientific innovation through agronomic research and sharing findings that address yield gaps and strengthen resilience in rice systems. I also expect to promote gender equity by ensuring women farmers actively engage in training and decision-making, thereby supporting inclusive development.

Through this project, I hope to strengthen collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and farmers across Africa, expanding my professional network and exposure to diverse expertise. I also expect to gain experience in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, as well as in farmer capacity building. Ultimately, I aspire to align my contributions with Tanzania’s food security priorities and Africa’s broader climate-smart agriculture goals, ensuring sustainable and impactful outcomes.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be selected as part of the Climate-Resilient and Eco-Friendly Rice for Africa project. This scholarship is both an honor and a responsibility, and I am committed to contributing meaningfully toward its goals of food security, climate resilience, and gender equity. I look forward to learning, collaborating, and applying my skills to support sustainable rice systems in Tanzania and across Africa. My sincere thanks go to the project team and sponsors for this trust.