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AfRice-HEALTH a Disease Surveillance Network for Rice Health in Africa
AfRice-HEALTH a Disease Surveillance Network for Rice Health in Africa
The Network consists of five working groups that were formed in March 2024 to focus on internal communication, standardised diagnostic protocols, capacity building, fundraising and external communication, and establishing coordinated surveillance efforts.
who we are?
We are a network of rice phytopathologists working in Africa from national agricultural research institutions, national plant protection organizations and international centers.
Losses due to diseases and pests of food plants are estimated at 30% of production on a global scale. Protecting crops therefore contributes to food security. Pathogens are living organisms that adapt to their environment, making control more difficult. Global changes facilitate the circulation of pathogens and contribute to the emergence or re-emergence of diseases. In this context, the diagnosis and monitoring of rice diseases in Africa is an important issue. With the financial support of the Genetic Innovation Science Group of the One CGIAR and the organizing institutions, AfricaRice, CIRAD and IRD organized a workshop in Abidjan from March 24 to 28, 2024 to initiate the construction of a rice disease diagnosis and surveillance network in Africa. 47 people from 19 African countries participated in the workshop to establish the network, with the intention that joining the network would be opened to all interested parties.
In March 2024, 35 participants from 19 African countries, representing CG centres, NPPOs, and NARs met in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to construct a continental diagnostic and surveillance network for rice diseases. The workshop was co-organised by AfricaRice, CIRAD and IRD and supported by funding from the Genetic Innovation Science Group of the One CGIAR.
Under the name “AfRice-HEALTH”, the constructed network seeks to improve the capacity of plant pathologists in Africa and to strengthen networking and information exchange. With the unifying slogan that "the world is stronger when it stands together to fight shared health threats," AfRice-HEALTH will enable rapid detection of established or emerging pathogens using standardised diagnostic protocols shared across member countries. This diagnostic capability will underpin a regional surveillance effort to detect and track the presence and distribution of rice pathogens/pathogen races, serving as an early warning system to guide plant health decision-making for preventing and responding to disease threats and for developing measures that limit economic losses.
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