Many African countries – recognising their over-dependence on imported rice and the instability of global rice markets – have been working to increase domestic rice production. As one of Africa’s main rice importers, Ethiopia developed its first National Rice Sector Development Strategy (NRDS) in 2010, which was revised in 2020 to run to 2030. Over the past decade, significant expansion in rice growing has occurred, with the total land area under rice cultivation rising from about 10,000ha in 2006, to over 85,000ha in 2021. But, despite these efforts, consumer demand has far outstripped supply and, today, rice imports account for 76 per cent of Ethiopia’s rice consumption.