Newsletter, July 2026

Africa Rice Sector Update

CARD is a coalition of 37 Sub-Saharan African countries and 14 Development Partners.  We are working together to double rice production in Africa by Year 2030.

🌾 CARD Secretariat members visited Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kirinyaga County in Kenya to learn the successful Village-Based Advisor (VBA) model

Rice consumption in Africa is expanding rapidly, with demand growing at an annual rate of 6 percent. This far exceeds Africa’s population growth rate (2.55 percent per year). There is no other staple food in Africa that has experienced such rapid growth in demand as rice. However, increases in rice production have not kept pace with rising demand, and import volumes are expanding year by year. 👉 Click here to the full article

(👉 Click here for French version)

🌾 CARD Secretariat retreat in Nairobi 

The CARD Secretariat Retreat was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7–10 July 2026, bringing together all Secretariat members to review progress and strategically plan CARD activities for the 2026/27 fiscal year. The retreat strengthened coordination, aligned priorities, and reinforced the Secretariat’s commitment to achieving the goals of CARD Phase II.

🌾Strengthening Partnerships: CARD Deepens Collaboration with AGRA and IRRI 

As part of the CARD Secretariat Retreat held in Nairobi from 7–10 July 2026, the Secretariat convened two high-level engagement meetings with AGRA and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on 8 July 2026 to strengthen strategic partnerships and enhance collaboration to support rice sector development across Africa.
The meeting with AGRA focused on strengthening collaboration in fundraising, gaining insights into AGRA’s resource mobilization approach and its successful Village-Based Advisor (VBA) model, while exploring opportunities to expand collaboration in advancing the implementation of National Rice Development Strategies (NRDSs). Discussions with IRRI focused on strengthening coordination, enhancing technical collaboration at the country level, sharing ongoing initiatives, and jointly supporting the implementation of NRDSs by leveraging complementary expertise.

🌾Rice (Paddy) Production Progress towards 2030 target snapshot across 32 CARD Member Countries; 5 countries that joined CARD in March 2026 are excluded

Source: Data for baseline2019 and current 2024 are from FAOSTAT, accessed in July 2026. Data for the 2030 target are obtained from countries’ National Rice Development Strategies (NRDS2), and for countries without NRDS, the 2030 Target is obtained by doubling the baseline figure. Compiled by Lilian Muasa (PhD), CARD M&E Specialist.

Check out all the recent developments on CARD activities. Our news includes coverage of major events and activities, programmes, and CARD engagement with its stakeholders. 👉Click here to see the news

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