Changes in production, yields, and the cropped area of lowland rice over the last 20 years and factors affecting their variations in Côte d′Ivoire

To meet high demand for rice in West Africa, many governments and the regional and international donor community embarked on ambitious rice sector development. The questions are how much rice farmers have increased rice production in West Africa in the past two decades and what factors have contributed to the increase in rice production there. As a case study on lowland rice farming in central Côte d′Ivoire, we aim to describe changes in production, yields, the cropped area, and agronomic practices between 2000 and 2020, and to identify factors affecting rice yields and cropped area. Farm surveys were conducted in 2000 and 2020 around the city of Bouaké in Côte d′Ivoire to construct panel data, and descriptive and multiple regression analyses were performed. Rice production increased by an average of 89% over the 20 years, of which 26% and 63% increase in rice production were attributed to the increase in yields and the cropped area, respectively. Yield variation was 0.1–8.0 t/ha and 0.2–7.0 t/ha in 2000 and 2020, respectively, with medians of 1.6 and 2.4 t/ha. Farmers using low inputs relative to the land area tended to increase their cropped area. Changes in agronomic practices had limited impact on yield increase except for farmers’ adoption of a new variety and its impact on yields. These results indicate a need to understand the causes of poor adoption of agronomic practices such as fertilizer use and water management practices, and to identify the associations between yields and biophysical factors. These could help identify strategies for narrowing the yield gap through the diffusion of yield-enhancing agronomic practices