Rice is the staple crop in Madagascar and there is a long tradition of rice cultivation. Per capita rice consumption is the highest in Africa and the rice supply was estimated to be 154 kg/per capita/year (paddy equivalent) in 2009 (FAO-STAT, 2014). Back in the 1970s, Madagascar exported rice but has since become a rice importer. In the central highlands of Madagascar, which have the country's highest population density,
the development of new lowland paddy fields is not possible. On the other hand, rainfed upland rice (UR) can be cultivated provided cold tolerant UR varieties are available. The region is characterized by a cold tropical highland climate with minimum temperatures that can fall below 10 °C and maximum temperatures that rarely reach over 30 °C (at 1650 m asl) between October and April during the rainy season corresponding to the upland rice cropping season. In the mid-1990s,