Technologies That Support Rice Farmers' Decision-Making on Rice Production such as Weather Prediction (Lire en français)

（Example）
Solutions that support farmers' decision-making by utilizing data related to weather, soil, crop growth etc.

 

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BACKGROUND

In Senegal, JICA’s project, “Project for improvement of irrigated rice productivity in the Senegal River Valley (PAPRIZ2)” has been implemented. Concerning irrigated rice production, which is addressed in the project, many farmers keep irrigation pumps in continuous operation, causing high production cost and a waste of water resources. Accurate predictions of the timing of rainy season and the amount of rainfall, if realized, will enable rainwater to be utilized to solve these challenges.
Also, in Senegal, double cropping of irrigated rice is recommended, and the timing of harvesting of dry season crops affects the start time of subsequent rainy season crops, so if it is possible to predict rainfall in advance as much as possible, It will also be a reference for making a cultivation plan, and the benefits will be greater. In addition, if they can be combined with an efficient growth model for rice (e.g., temperature, water management, amount/timing of fertilization), that will bring a further increase in rice farmers’ productivity. For this reason, JICA decided to call for solutions to support rice farmers’ decision-making to increase their productivity by making full use of such relevant data as weather, soil, and crop growth  

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WHY PARTICIPATE?

• JICA provides Proof of Concept (PoC) opportunity （JICA covers cost of PoC upto 3~5 million yen）
• There is a chance that the selected technology can be adopted for JICA’s projects if the KPIs are met and the PoC ends successfully
• JICA will support the PoC by introducing the government agencies and public institutions in the country

 

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POINTS TO CONSIDER

There are many areas in Senegal where the internet environment is weak. Solutions applicable to such environment are preferable.

 

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PoC

• PoC Period：about three months during February and June 2021
• If it is difficult to travel to the site due to the covid-19, the PoC is supposed to be carry out remotely.
• Area of PoC in Senegal: Irrigated farmlands in the Senegal River valley under the control of the National Company of Development and Exploitation of Land in the Delta of Senegal River, and Faleme Valleys (SAED), which include the Saint-Louis Region, the Matam Region, and part of the Tambacounda Region.
• Solution Users : Several tens of technical officers or agricultural extension personnel of the SAED
  
  【Details of technical officers】
  
  • Job description: Technical works at the SAED headquarters or branch office, for example, maintenance and management of irrigation and drainage facilities, water management, work related to collection and management of meteorological data.
  • Educational background, etc.: Mainly from agriculture, civil engineering, and science and engineering at the university graduate level or above.
  • IT literacy and internet environment: Many of them use smartphones and PCs that can connect to the Internet at the office where they work. The internet speed is approximately 5.0 Mbps to 20.0 Mbps.
  【Details of agricultural extension personnel】
  
  • Job description: Providing farming and technical guidance to producers directly on farmland.
  • Educational background, etc.：Mainly those in their 20s and 30s from agricultural colleges and elderly personnel with abundant experience.
  • IT literacy and internet environment: Approximately 30% to 40% of them use smartphones while the others use feature phones. All of them can use mobile phones, including smartphones. They received computer trainings, however they are at beginner level. The office is within the 4G mobile network. The Office has an internet environment. The maximum download speed is 200kbps; the communication environment may become poor depending on the location
• French is required for communication with the locals (English is hardly spoken).
  ※.Interpreter fees may be included in the cost of POC if needed.
• French is preferred as the operating language for the solutions.

 

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Additional information

• Cultivation-related schedule in the rainy season of 2019:
  • Completed loan repayment for dry season crops: late June to early July
  • Rainy season loan application: Early July to mid-July
  • Procurement of investment goods such as fertilizer: Mid-July to late July
  • Sowing: Mid-July to mid-August
  • Harvest: Late November to early January

  ※The first rainfall of the rainy season of a year in Senegal usually takes place sometime between late June and early August.
  ※ PAPRIZ2 promotes double cropping. For dry season crop in 2019, they sowed from mid-February to early March and harvested from mid-June to late June.
  ※ For the double cropping, the farmers have to fully repay the loan for dry-season cropping before the start of the rainy-season cropping. Otherwise they cannot get the loan for the rainy-season cropping. It is important to reflect the timing of the cycle of investment and repayment for the double cropping. The proposed solutions are recommended to include a reminder function for rice farming plans.

• Main rice varieties cultivated in the rainy season: Sahel 108 and Sahel 134 (same as the dry season)
• Water source during rainy season: Pump irrigation with the Senegal River and its tributaries. Rainwater farming is not practiced
• Current meteorological forecasting methods: The National Agency of Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM) provides meteorological data to engineers and the general public using radio, websites, SMS, etc They also provide trainings for farmers' organizations before rainy season, using weather forecasts related to rainfall. During rainy season, they distribute one-day and 10-day weather forecasts everyday. In addition, the AGRYMET (Agrometeorology, Hydrology and Meteorology Committee) collects, analyzes and publishes information on rainfall conditions and the impact on agriculture.

 

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SAED officials

 

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About the Project for Improvement of Rice Productivity in the Senegal River Valley (PAPRIZ2)

• Project: Technical Cooperation
• Subject：Agricultural／Rural Development
• Period：May 2016〜May 2021
• Outline：
  Senegal is one of the leading rice consuming countries in West Africa, but the self-sufficiency rate of domestic rice is low, and most of it depends on imports. In the national plan "the Accelerated Programme for Agriculture in Senegal (2014–2018)", increasing domestic rice production is an urgent issue to achieve rice self-sufficiency by 2017. This cooperation will formulate a medium- to long-term development plan for the rice cultivation sector in the Senegal River basin, as well as cultivation technology, irrigation infrastructure maintenance, and agricultural service providers in the Senegal River basin, especially in Dagana and Podor provinces where rice cultivation is prosperous. This will improve the production and quality of rice and contribute to the increase in domestic distribution.

Harvesting and threshing in a small-scale irrigation scheme. It is expected that the quality of paddy will be improved by instructing the timely harvest through the rice cultivation training by the project

 

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SCHEDULE

※1　 An online meeting (less than an hour) will be set up with ZOOM or other tools.
※2　Selected proposers will be asked to brush up the PoC plan in consultation with JICA and make an online presentation about your company, the details of your solution, the PoC plan, etc.

 

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ENTRY

Click on the "Apply" button, go to the entry form and fill in the required information.

The evaluation criteria for proposals will be as follows. Please note that we will not disclose any evaluation results.

• Potential of the proposal as a solution to the given challenges
• Feasibility of the proposed solution
• Competitive advantage of the proposed solution
• Validity of the PoC plan
• Any relevant experiences of proposer

 

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CONTACT

If you have any questions, please send them to the email address below. The secretariat will reply to your inquiry.

The secretariat for Africa Open Innovation Challenge powered by JICA
E-mail: jpopeninnovation-jica@tohmatsu.co.jp

 

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NOTE

Contract for PoC
This verification testing will be conducted based on the business consignment contract, and the proposer will be required to submit the report specified in the contract as a product of the business consignment contract.
The management of this process is carried out in the Africa Open Innovation Challenge powered by JICA Management Secretariat (hereinafter referred to as the "Secretariat"). The secretariat is operated by a joint venture of Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support Co., Ltd., which is entrusted by JICA. Thus the proposer will make a business consignment contract for the implementation of the verification testing not with JICA but with the secretariat (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu).

• The secretariat and JICA will not disclose any evaluation details or results related to the selection.
• The ownership of the materials and equipment procured by the proposer with the budget allocated by JICA shall belong to JICA, and in principle, JICA will transfer the materials and equipment to the government agencies of the project implementing country after the completion of the verification testing.
• The intellectual property rights of the prototypes produced by the proposer and other organizations related to the verification testing shall belong to the proposer even after the termination of the business consignment contract. However the proposer grants the license to JICA and the government agency of the project implementing country. (separately confirmed in writing by the proposer and JICA).
• The intellectual property rights of the report prepared by the proposer, which is the product of the business consignment contract, shall be transferred to JICA.
• In principle, JICA will disclose the submitted report to the public. If the report contains confidential contents for the proposer, the contents will be kept private. The contents of non-disclosure will be decided after discussion among the proposer, JICA, and the secretariat.
• The verification testing may suspended or canceled due to local conditions or the spread of COVID-19 infection.