The cultural diffusion of rice cropping in Cote d'Ivoire

Increasing rice consumption in West Africa has spurred efforts to augment rice production. To improve rice yields and expand the area under cultivation, international and national agricultural institutes have emphasized the agroecological characterization of rice-growing environments. We suggest that traditional approaches to the classification of staple-crop-producing environments focus narrowly on the biophysical components of agriculture and ignore the historical origin and cultural aspects of cropping systems. Our study of Cote d'Ivoire traces the diffusion of rice into Ivorian territory and explains the differences among formal rice-growing practices today. Based on field observations and interviews with farmers and extension workers, we identify nine rice-growing systems.