Participatory Assessment of Promising Rice Lines in Senegal

The objective of this study is to improve dissemination of improved varieties in Senegal. The involvement of small farmers from the beginning of development of a new variety of processes and taking account of their selection criteria, have contributed greatly to the success of participatory research method. It can promote greater ownership of technological innovation by targeted stakeholders and facilitates its widespread dissemination. A total of 44 promising lines and 2 controls were tested under irrigated conditions in two locations in the Senegal River Valley at Ndiaye and Fanaye, during the rainy season. Around 68 small farmers leaders from 26 villages participated in this study. Farmers were particularly interested to factors of production, and to a lesser extent, to constraints of the environment. Of the 44 lines tested, eight 8 were selected by small farmers, including 5 intraspecific hybrids and 3 interspecific hybrids. The best grain yields obtained on the two sites combined are around 6 t.ha-1. The sociological study highlighted the typology of farms with a variety of ethnic groups. Most farmers are of advanced age, between 40 and 60 years. The distribution of the harvested products varies according to the location with a strong option for the marketing of products harvested at Ndiaye, where only 1/3 of the harvest is consumed, the vast majority of production is intended for Sale. At Fanaye by against, commercial dynamics is less pronounced with a distribution into two equitable shares of production, one of which is intended for self-consumption and the other for sale.