An extension agent explains about rice cultivation and seeds to farmers at the entrance of CERCI Headquarters in Farako-Bâ?- - CERCI (Experimental Centre of Rice and Irrigated Crops): BKF/81/001. CERCI was created in 1973 with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Its objective was to establish a programme of applied agronomic research on rice culture and other irrigated crops in order to reinforce the efforts of the Government in researching food sufficiency. The first phase of the project from 1973 to 1976 was concerned with building infrastructures. The second phase (1977-1981) mainly focused on the development of package technologies with regard to rice culture, rice based cropping systems and fodder crops and training of national personnel. The third phase (1981-1986) improved all the rice technologies adapted to three main ecologies of Burkina Faso (irrigated, lowland and upland rice) with transfer of these technologies to various national development schemes. It also promoted appropriate rice-based cropping systems to the small farmers.