This document describes the AfroWeeds project, which aims to consolidate knowledge about weeds that affect rice production in Africa. Rice is a major crop on the continent but weed problems cause 28-89% yield losses. The project will create a centralized online knowledge base of Africa's major rice weed species, including an identification tool. It will also develop paper guides and networks to disseminate information to farmers, researchers and extension workers. This will help close knowledge gaps about weed identification, biology and management, improving rice productivity through better integrated weed control in African countries.

1. AfroWeeds

2. African, Caribbean and Pacific
Group of States
(ACP Secretariat)
ACP Science and Technology
Programme

3. African, Caribbean and Pacific
Group of States
(ACP Secretariat)
ACP Science and Technology
Programme
AfroWeeds
African Weeds of Rice

4. AfroWeeds
• ACP Science and Technology Programme
• Ref.: EuropeAid/127860/D/ACT/ACP
• CIRAD et AfricaRice
36 months
• Start October 2009

5. Relevance of the Action
• Rice is one of the major cereals consumed in
Africa
• Rice production / increasing consumption

6. Evolution of rice consumption and
production in SSA (million tonnes)

7. Relevance of the Action
• Rice is one of the major cereals consumed in
Africa
• Rice production / increasing consumption
• Rice prices / increasing
• Africa is heavily dependent on the
international market
• Lowland rice production systems / 52% of the
total area under rice in Sub-Saharan Africa

8. Relevance of the Action
• Limited production / ineffective control of
weeds (responsible to 28-89 % of yield losses)
• Better productivity
– effective weed control
– effective adoption result

9. Specific problems
• Integrated weed management / knowledge of
weed biology and ecology
• Extension services and researchers of National
Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) or
Universities / a lack of information on
problem weeds
– weeds identification
– weeds biology
– management practices

10. Relevance of the proposal
• New science and technology framework
– weed research
– management in rice production
• Centralised platform of information on the
major weeds

11. The specific objectives
• Consolidation of existing scientific knowledge
for the weed species of irrigated and rain-fed
lowland rice
• Enhancing exploitation and dissemination of
best weed management practices

12. Benin
Senegal
Mali
Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast
Ghana
Nigeria
Tchad
Niger
Guinea
Kenya
Tanzania
Uganda
Mozambique
Madagascar

13. Outputs and expected results
• Established and consolidated networks at
intra-ACP level
• Fully functional website containing the
knowledge base on the weed species
• Computer tool for identification and
information on rice weeds for Africa
• Concise paper version of the knowledge base
– information flow for the extension workers
– disseminating scientific knowledge

14. LKB
Portal AfroWeeds.org
Feed and consult
Shared regional
Knowledge Base
IDAO IKONA
LKB
LKB
LKB
LKB LKB
LKB
LKB
LKB : Local
Knowledge
Base

15. AFROweeds tools

16. AFROweeds Web site
http://www.afroweeds.org

17. AFROweeds forum
http://www.afroweeds.org/network

18. Weeds identification system AFROweeds
http://www.afroweeds.org/idao

19. Directly by clicking on the
identikit, the user can choose the
characters he wants to describe
such as « leaf type, habit,
phylotaxy… » and for each
character the modality
corresponding to the species he
has to identify

20. Example of a species information HTML page

21. Identification and information or field