This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
Published on December 18, 2019, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has partnered with the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) to support East Africa rice farmers.
The $3 million grant aims to improve the rice sub-sector in the region through the Competitive African Rice Initiative in East Africa (CARI-EA) project. The project will be implemented jointly by the East African Community (EAC) and Kilimo Trust (KT) over a period of three years, from April 15th, 2019 to April 14th, 2022.
Some of the objectives of CARI-EA include supporting private sector millers, carrying out assessments of supply chain and logistical constraints, supporting EAC Partner States governments to develop clear rice development plans, mobilizing private sector investments, promoting the use of irrigation technologies, and partnering with National Agricultural Research Centres and seed agencies.
The EAC Secretariat is tasked to develop an EAC rice trade strategy, establish the EAC Regional rice platform, increase the membership of private sector processors and rice value chain actors, undertake research into issues affecting rice regional trade, establish a rice traceability and certification mechanism, and promote the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) protocol.
Overall, the project targets to reach 660,000 farming households, with 220,000 directly impacted and 440,000 indirectly impacted.
