Mangrove Rice Farming

Lessons in Sustainability and Climate Change Adaptation from Guiné Bissau
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-34134-1
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm

Reihe: Sustainable Development Goals Series

This open access book examines the central role of rice in Guinea-Bissau, where per capita consumption is estimated at 100–120 kg per year and rice provides more than half of both caloric and protein intake. It explores how this high dependence shapes livelihoods, food systems, and social practices, while situating current conditions within a longer-term transformation of the sector. Over the past fifty years, Guinea-Bissau has shifted from a net exporter to a net importer, now relying on more than 60,000 tons of milled rice annually. Rice also functions as a medium of exchange, including within the cashew sector.

Rice is produced in three ecosystems: rainfed uplands, lowlands, and mangrove swamps. Mangrove cultivation relies on reclaimed coastal land protected by dykes, which regulate seawater entry and support soil desalinization. Seasonal saline inundation contributes to nutrient supply, weed control, and soil management, although water regulation remains limited.

This book examines interventions to support mangrove rice systems, including varietal improvement based on local biodiversity, farmer-managed seed systems, and enhanced hydraulic design through a basin-level approach. It also addresses efforts to improve milling efficiency while preserving nutritional value.

Drawing on contributions from multiple institutions, the volume presents results from initiatives supported by the European Union and situates technical developments within the broader socio-economic and cultural context of rice in Guinea-Bissau.

Zielgruppe

Professional/practitioner

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tesio, Franco

Cerise , Streng

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Nachhaltigkeit
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Ökologie
• Technische Wissenschaften Verfahrenstechnik | Chemieingenieurwesen | Biotechnologie Lebensmitteltechnologie und Getränketechnologie
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Lebensmittelsicherheit und -versorgung
• Naturwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften Agrarwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: The mangrove swamp rice farming system in West Africa.- Chapter 2: The mangrove ecosystem in West Africa: specificities of Guinea-Bissau and how mangrove rice cultivation is integrated into the ecosystem.- Chapter 3: Mangrove rice farming in Guinea Bissau.- Chapter 4: The basin level approach: hydrological studies and hydraulic design.- Chapter 5: Mangrove swamp rice fields and water management.- Chapter 6: Agro-biodiversity in the local seed production system.- Chapter 7: Post-harvest, processing, and milling facilities.- Chapter 8: The agroecology dimension.- Chapter 9: Sustainability: the goals attempted and the future perspective.

Über Autor(innen)

Franco Tesio worked as a research assistant in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Turin (Italy) for ten years. He earned his master's degree and PhD from the same faculty, after a period at Cornell University (NY - USA). Between 2012 and 2013, he was a visiting scientist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (BC - Canada). He is currently a freelance researcher and consultant, working primarily on the sustainability of agri-food supply chains. His clients include public entities, farms, rice mills, and publishing houses. For these companies, he has published textbooks and writes a column in a national animal husbandry journal. He works in Italy, and in various African countries such as Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Streng Cerise is a tropical and subtropical agronomist. He earned is master’s degree at the University of Florence (Italy). Since 2006 is working in the international cooperation in Africa, developing and managing programs both in the rural and urban sector in Tchad, Mali, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique. He is currently programme officer at the Italian NGO L.V.I.A. (Associazione Internazionale Volontari Laici), coordinating the initiatives in Guinea-Bissau and Burundi.