Niger's rice production has not been able to match growth in demand. The slow growth in domestic rice production has been attributed to salinity, non-adapted germplasm, and low farmer adoption of improved varieties. This study was carried out to: determine farmers' perception on influence of salinity in rice production and their preference for rice varieties in salt affected areas; identify potential sources of genes for salt tolerance from local and exotic rice germplasm; determine genetic control of salt tolerance in rice; and evaluate yield performance of early segregating generations of rice from crossing diverse parental genotypes.