Biointensive Farming

See this at: reneesgarden.com| Added on 05/29/08

All seeds are $2.69 per packet. Shipping is $4.50 per order to US and Canada only. We do not have a print catalog.

All seeds are $2.69 per packet. Shipping is $4.50 per order to US and Canada only. We do not have a print catalog. See less

See this at: en.wikipedia.org| Added on 01/23/08

The new rice for Africa was created by crossing O. glaberrima and O. sativa. Because the different species do not naturally interbreed, a plant tissue culture technique called embryo-rescue was used to assure that crosses between the two varieties... See more

The new rice for Africa was created by crossing O. glaberrima and O. sativa. Because the different species do not naturally interbreed, a plant tissue culture technique called embryo-rescue was used to assure that crosses between the two varieties survive and grow to maturity. The new rices display heterosis, the phenomenon in which the progeny of two genetically different parents grow faster, yield more, or resist stresses better than either parent. Key features of the new varieties include: * An increase in grain head size from 75-100 grains per head to 400 grains per head. * An increase in yield from 1 tonne per hectare to 2.5 tonnes per hectare, yield increases to 5 tonnes per hectare with fertilizer use. * Contains 2% more protein than their African or Asian parents. * They are taller than most rices, which makes harvesting easier. * They resist pests, and they tolerate drought and infertile soils better than Asian varieties. Some NERICA lines show[1] high growth with low uptake... See less

Highlights: If 25% of rice farmers in Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone adopt the new varieties it is estimated that USD $20 million will be saved each year. The rices may also be valuable to rice producers in other dry environments, including areas of Latin America and Asia.

See this at: warmafrica.com| Added on 01/23/08

ABIDJAN, 24 July (IRIN) - The African Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday it had approved US $31 million of loans and grants to help increase the production of upland rice in seven West African countries through the planting of new higher... See more

ABIDJAN, 24 July (IRIN) - The African Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday it had approved US $31 million of loans and grants to help increase the production of upland rice in seven West African countries through the planting of new higher yielding varieties. The ADB said the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) programme should raise the combined rice production of Benin, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone by 600,000 tonnes a year. That in turn would enable these countries to save $100 million a year on food imports. The ADB said the new funds would be used to provide small loans to farmers to enable them to buy the higher yielding rice seeds. The project should boost the incomes of 241,000 farming families across West Africa, it added. Upland rice is grown on dry land rather than flooded paddy fields. The ADB said the new high yielding varieties to be grown under the NERICA programme were hybrids of African and Asian species. They were developed during the 1990s by... See less

Highlights: ADB approves US $31 million for rice project - West Africa | economy

See this at: scienceinafrica.co.z...| Added on 01/23/08

A new rice variety is transforming agriculture in a large portion of West Africa, benefiting twenty million farmers- mostly women- and helping reduce the high rice import bills. Labelled NERICA for "New Rice for Africa", the new variety combines the... See more

A new rice variety is transforming agriculture in a large portion of West Africa, benefiting twenty million farmers- mostly women- and helping reduce the high rice import bills. Labelled NERICA for "New Rice for Africa", the new variety combines the ruggedness of local African rice species with the high productivity traits of the Asian rice that was the mainstay of the Green Revolution. Rice now contributes more calories and protein than any other cereal in humid West Africa, and about the same as all roots and tubers combined. Demand for rice is growing faster in this region than anywhere else in the world. In the last three decades, rice imports have uncreased eight-fold to over 3 million tonnes a year at a cost of almost US$ 1 billion. Overcame Failures In 1991, a biotechnology-based programme was initiated to combine the best traits of the Asian and African rices. Vital to the effort were gene banks that contain seeds of 1500 African rices - which had faced extinction as farmers... See less

See this at: un.org| Added on 01/23/08

By Ernest Harsch When drought came two years ago to Zaguiguia, in western Côte d'Ivoire, only one variety of rice grew well, the New Rice for Africa (Nerica). The next season all the farmers in the region wanted Nerica seeds, but not enough were... See more

By Ernest Harsch When drought came two years ago to Zaguiguia, in western Côte d'Ivoire, only one variety of rice grew well, the New Rice for Africa (Nerica). The next season all the farmers in the region wanted Nerica seeds, but not enough were available, says Albertine Kpassa, a local farmer. In Saioua, in the central part of the country, another woman farmer, Elise Digbeu Ori, prefers Nerica because it matures early, bringing in quick income. “That means a lot,” she says, “because I have six children, and all are in school.” In the neighbouring country of Guinea, where the first Nerica varieties were introduced in 1997, Mamady Douno cultivates a rice field in Maferenya. “Since I started to grow this rice, I no longer buy rice on the market,” the father of 10 told a local reporter. “With Nerica, I can feed my family, pay my kids' school fees and be sure of having food all year.” On a continent where the struggle to grow enough food is often a challenge and a staggering one-third of... See less

See this at: warda.org| Added on 01/23/08

Africa Rice Center (WARDA) is the premier research Center for rice development in sub-Saharan Africa. It also serves as a hub for rice-related R&D networks in the region. The New Rice for Africa (NERICA), which is bringing hope to millions of poor... See more

Africa Rice Center (WARDA) is the premier research Center for rice development in sub-Saharan Africa. It also serves as a hub for rice-related R&D networks in the region. The New Rice for Africa (NERICA), which is bringing hope to millions of poor people in Africa, was developed by WARDA and its partners. The success of the NERICA rice varieties has helped shape the Center’s future direction, extending its horizon beyond West and Central Africa into Eastern and Southern Africa. In Africa, Prosperity From Seeds Falls Short New York Times, United States | In Africa, Holy Grail for Hunger is a New Rice - International Herald Tribune | African Development Bank rice project sows success in West Africa | Historic change for rice research in Africa : Eastern and Central African countries join WARDA as members | Proc of the Regional Workshop on HIV/AIDS Africa Rice Trends 2007 Summary | Africa Rice Center is supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)... See less

See this at: bountifulgardens.org| Added on 12/21/07

Heirloom, untreated, open-pollinated seeds, supplies, books, and Grow Biointensive publications for sustainable gardening.

Heirloom, untreated, open-pollinated seeds, supplies, books, and Grow Biointensive publications for sustainable gardening. See less

See this at: growbiointensive.org| Added on 12/21/07

Aware of intensifying world challenges and the basic need of people to feed themselves, we have developed a small-scale agricultural system — GROW BIOINTENSIVE ® Sustainable Mini-Farming — that nutures soil, produces high yields, conserves resources... See more

Aware of intensifying world challenges and the basic need of people to feed themselves, we have developed a small-scale agricultural system — GROW BIOINTENSIVE ® Sustainable Mini-Farming — that nutures soil, produces high yields, conserves resources and can be used successfully by almost everyone. Our goal is to help this system be known and used locally — on a worldwide scale. See less