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Four new rice varieties are now available to farmers throughout West Africa, thanks to the research efforts of Burkina Faso's rice breeders. The four varieties developed by Burkina Faso's Institut national de l'environnement et de la recherche agricole (INERA) are: KBR2, KBR4, KBR6 and KBR8.

Experts have warned that COVID-19 will have a negative effect on the food system in the Sahel and West Africa.

"Countries with high levels of food insecurity are generally more vulnerable and less prepared for an epidemic, and are likely to see their mortality rates rise. In addition, malnutrition increases vulnerability to disease", says Arif Husain, Chief Economist of the World Food Programme (WFP).

Overall, around 17 million people are expected to be affected by hunger in the Sahel and West Africa, according to the Sahel and West Africa Club.

It is thought that these innovations could further strengthen the resilience of affected communities, as some varieties are climate-sensitive.

These new rice varieties feature a shorter production cycle, between 100 and 120 days, and higher yields, between 8 and 10 tonnes per hectare, according to the researchers.

"We spent three years working on these varieties in the hope of making them profitable in terms of productivity", explains Edgard Traoré, Geneticist at INERA.

According to the experts, these varieties have the advantage of not requiring much water, of being resistant to climate change and of being able to be used as a remedy for rice diseases.

It took many years of selection to obtain these varieties (KBR2 or Massamalo, KBR4 or Nongsaamè, KBR6 or Bitonkini, and KBR8 or Mouifiida). KBR originates from KamboiseRiz, in reference to Kamboisé - the name of the town in which the rice was developed.