Can Africa grow what it eats? IRRI’s Dr Ismail maps new blueprint for rice self-Sufficiency

Breakthroughs in drought, flood, salinity, and heat-tolerant varieties are finally progressing, but require African-specific breeding pipelines, stronger national programs, and serious funding to reach scale. With consumers shifting toward higher-quality, fortified and convenience rice, Dr. Ismail points to milling modernization, youth-led mechanisation services, and private-sector seed systems as Africa’s next billion-dollar opportunities. Looking ahead to 2035, he says Africa can be food-sovereign and even a net exporter—but only if political stability, modernized policies, and investment-ready ecosystems align to unlock the continent’s true rice potential.