A NEW variety of rice could help impoverished Africans reap a harvest that is 50 percent more bountiful, the UN has announced. Promoters tout the new supergrain – known by the acronym NERICA, for “New Rice for Africa” – as the combination of a host of strengths: It is hardy and resistant to disease and insects, like African rice, and, like Asian rice, it is very rich in protein and produces greater yields. Among its other pluses: NERICA does not require irrigation, and it can be grown throughout all of sub-Saharan West Africa. – AFP