Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys
Rice is a staple food for over million of people in West Africa, yet regional production meets only ~60% of demand, leaving the region highly dependent on imports. Inland valleys, seasonally wet lowlands hold significant potential for sustainable intensification of rice systems but remain underuti...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Informe técnico |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
2025
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180648 |
| _version_ | 1855543407290613760 |
|---|---|
| author | Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Djagba, J. Kone, P. Akodekou, A.D. |
| author_browse | Akodekou, A.D. Djagba, J. Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Kone, P. |
| author_facet | Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Djagba, J. Kone, P. Akodekou, A.D. |
| author_sort | Dossou-Yovo, E.R. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Rice is a staple food for over million of people in West Africa, yet regional production meets only ~60% of
demand, leaving the region highly dependent on imports. Inland valleys, seasonally wet lowlands hold
significant potential for sustainable intensification of rice systems but remain underutilized due to poor
water control, suboptimal agronomic practices, and socio-institutional barriers. The Smart-Valleys
approach, developed by AfricaRice, is a participatory, low-cost, locally led adaptation strategy that
integrates simple water-control infrastructure, farmer-driven land-use planning, and context-specific
agronomic management. This study evaluates the agronomic, economic, and ecological performance of
Smart-Valleys across 243 inland valleys in seven West African countries spanning humid, sub-humid, and
semi-arid agro-ecological zones. Results show that Smart-Valleys increased rice yields by 2.1 t/ha on
average, enhanced net household income by USD 946/ha, and improved benefit-cost ratios relative to
adjacent non-developed inland valleys. Key drivers of yield variation included soil fertility, rainfall,
temperature, and management practices such as fertilizer application, herbicide, and disease control.
Beyond productivity gains, Smart-Valleys strengthens climate resilience, empowers local communities,
and supports ecosystem service provision, including water regulation and nutrient cycling. The approach
aligns with global Locally Led Adaptation principles by placing communities at the center of adaptation
decision-making, promoting inclusive participation, adaptive management, and scalable, cost-effective
solutions. Evidence from this study highlights Smart-Valleys as a viable model for integrating climate
resilient agricultural development with sustainable landscape management and locally led adaptation in
West Africa. |
| format | Informe técnico |
| id | CGSpace180648 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1806482026-01-26T17:15:01Z Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Djagba, J. Kone, P. Akodekou, A.D. climate-smart agriculture innovation systems rice farmers resilience Rice is a staple food for over million of people in West Africa, yet regional production meets only ~60% of demand, leaving the region highly dependent on imports. Inland valleys, seasonally wet lowlands hold significant potential for sustainable intensification of rice systems but remain underutilized due to poor water control, suboptimal agronomic practices, and socio-institutional barriers. The Smart-Valleys approach, developed by AfricaRice, is a participatory, low-cost, locally led adaptation strategy that integrates simple water-control infrastructure, farmer-driven land-use planning, and context-specific agronomic management. This study evaluates the agronomic, economic, and ecological performance of Smart-Valleys across 243 inland valleys in seven West African countries spanning humid, sub-humid, and semi-arid agro-ecological zones. Results show that Smart-Valleys increased rice yields by 2.1 t/ha on average, enhanced net household income by USD 946/ha, and improved benefit-cost ratios relative to adjacent non-developed inland valleys. Key drivers of yield variation included soil fertility, rainfall, temperature, and management practices such as fertilizer application, herbicide, and disease control. Beyond productivity gains, Smart-Valleys strengthens climate resilience, empowers local communities, and supports ecosystem service provision, including water regulation and nutrient cycling. The approach aligns with global Locally Led Adaptation principles by placing communities at the center of adaptation decision-making, promoting inclusive participation, adaptive management, and scalable, cost-effective solutions. Evidence from this study highlights Smart-Valleys as a viable model for integrating climate resilient agricultural development with sustainable landscape management and locally led adaptation in West Africa. 2025 2026-01-26T15:05:42Z 2026-01-26T15:05:42Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180648 en Open Access application/pdf Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Djagba, J. Kone, P. Akodekou, A.D. 2025. Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys. Activity report. Climate Action Science Program: AfricaRice. |
| spellingShingle | climate-smart agriculture innovation systems rice farmers resilience Dossou-Yovo, E.R. Djagba, J. Kone, P. Akodekou, A.D. Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title | Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title_full | Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title_fullStr | Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title_full_unstemmed | Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title_short | Smart-Valleys: A locally led innovation enhancing rice yields, farmer incomes, climate resilience in West African Inland Valleys |
| title_sort | smart valleys a locally led innovation enhancing rice yields farmer incomes climate resilience in west african inland valleys |
| topic | climate-smart agriculture innovation systems rice farmers resilience |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180648 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dossouyovoer smartvalleysalocallyledinnovationenhancingriceyieldsfarmerincomesclimateresilienceinwestafricaninlandvalleys AT djagbaj smartvalleysalocallyledinnovationenhancingriceyieldsfarmerincomesclimateresilienceinwestafricaninlandvalleys AT konep smartvalleysalocallyledinnovationenhancingriceyieldsfarmerincomesclimateresilienceinwestafricaninlandvalleys AT akodekouad smartvalleysalocallyledinnovationenhancingriceyieldsfarmerincomesclimateresilienceinwestafricaninlandvalleys |