News & Current Affairs
CSIR-SARI Shows Sagnarigu Farmers Early-Maturing Rice to Beat Erratic Rains
CSIR-SARI demonstrates the System of Rice Intensification and four improved rice varieties to Sagnarigu farmers facing erratic rainfall.
Rice farmers in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region have been shown improved growing methods and an early-maturing rice variety designed to cope with irregular rainfall, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) reports.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research–Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) held a field day at Yilo-Naayili, where farmers compared a demonstration plot with fields cultivated using their usual methods.
One variety ready in 84 days
Alex Yeboah, a rice breeder at CSIR-SARI, told farmers that four improved varieties developed by the institute were on show: CSIR-Banse Rice, CSIR-Gbewaa Red, CSIR-Malimali and CSIR-Savanna Rice.
He said CSIR-Banse matures in about 84 days and was the only variety in the valley that had reached maturity at the time of the assessment, which makes it suited to shortened growing seasons and long dry spells increasingly seen in Northern Ghana.
Planting with precision
The main technology demonstrated was the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which focuses on correct plant spacing, compost use and better crop management to raise soil fertility and yields. The Sagnarigu demonstration farm was set up on July 31, 2026, with farmers taking part in planting and compost application before returning to assess results.
Shani Abukari-Adua, the Sagnarigu Municipal Director of Agriculture, said rice is widely grown in the municipality, but many farmers do not follow recommended practices, which limits their output. He said climate change has made improved production systems necessary to protect farmers’ incomes.
Adam Dramani, a farmer from Kulimaa, said adopting the technologies would raise yields and help reduce poverty and hunger in farming communities, according to GNA.
About the project
The work is part of the Regional Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in West Africa through Climate-Resilient Rice Production (RICOWAS) Project. Funded by the Adaptation Fund, it began in 2023 and runs for four years across seven regions of Ghana.
The field day comes days after the government launched the REWARD-Ghana rice value chain project in Tamale, part of a national push to cut rice imports.
Source: Ghana News Agency — https://gna.org.gh/2026/11/csir-sari-promotes-climate-resilient-rice-technologies-at-sagnarigu/
