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Rice is the world’s most heavily consumed staple crop. Its production requires enormous volumes of water and emits large quantities of atmospheric methane, a greenhouse gas some many times more powerful than carbon dioxide - particularly during a medium term period of about seven years. In a global context of growing population, increasingly scarce water resources, and climate change, more productive, sustainable, and efficient rice production warrants clear priority. The incidence of droughts associated with climate change is projected to increase in rain fed rice-growing areas, and may very well extend further into water-scarce irrigated areas. A variety of climate-smart practices and technologies are available which can move rice production towards a triple win scenario which entails increased productivity, enhanced resilience, and improved greenhouse gas mitigation. This review of World Bank projects focus on the application of sustainable principles in rice production in 172 Bank projects that were approved between 1984 and 2011. These had a total lending volume of 10.9 billion dollars. Their development outcomes are gauged based on the projects’ implementation completion reports, which also document lessons learned and results in greater detail.

Africa is unlikely to register significant developmental advances. Recognizing this reality, African governments adopted in 2002 a comprehensive Africa agriculture development program under the auspices of New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). This program states that larger investments in agricultural research, extension, and education systems are required to achieve the targeted increase in agricultural output of 6 percent a year over the next 20 years. The World Bank initiated a series of studies on agricultural education and training (AET) in 2005. These comprised six thematic studies that in turn drew on analyses of 15 country cases, a survey of donor financing trends, an operational review of Bank investments, a survey of the literature, an annotated bibliography, and consultations with stakeholders and donors. The purpose of this report is to synthesize the findings of this research and gives a set of strategic measures for strengthening the contribution of AET to agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. The target audiences are African practitioners and policymakers concerned with boosting food supply and agricultural output, donor representatives, and World Bank staff. This report presents a case for increased investment in AET, analyzes issues in the subsector, and outlines possible options for policies and interventions to build skills and capacities appropriate for the changing circumstances of African agriculture in the 21st century. The report is organized as follows: chapter one gives the context for agricultural education and training in Africa; chapter two presents agricultural education is vital for African development; chapter three presents African agricultural education and training in perspective; chapter four gives constraints on building AET capacity; chapter five focuses on what guidance can global experience provide; chapter six provides priorities for modernizing agricultural education and training; chapter seven gives approaches vary by AET level; and chapter eight focuses on the time to act is now.