Innovations for Agricultural Value Chains in Africa: Applying Science and Technology to Enhance Cassava, Dairy, and Maize Value Chains

Maize Value Chain

Meridian Institute has developed a Maize Value Chain Overview Paper to provide a brief introduction to this critically important crop in sub-Saharan Africa and to highlight key constraints to its further development. To provide context for those constraints, the paper begins with an overview of maize in Africa and highlights key issues such as gender and market dynamics. The paper concludes with a description of market inefficiencies and potential technological innovations that will be the focus for the Science Team. Please go to the following link to access the Maize overview.

As described in the paper, maize is a critically important value chain in sub-Saharan Africa, because of its importance as a food staple and food security crop in sub-Saharan Africa:

• While maize is grown primarily as livestock fodder in much of the world, 95 percent of maize produced in Africa is grown for human consumption
• Among the twenty-two countries in the world where maize comprises the majority of the diet, sixteen are in Africa
• Maize contributes about 16% of caloric intake for people in Africa
• Maize thrives in regions where the rainfall average falls between 900-1700 mm, but can grow in as little as 500 mm or as much as 2500 mm rainfall

Key impediments to maize production amongst smallholder farmers include:

• Few farmers use fertilizer or purchase improved seeds adversely affecting production
• Lack of storage with sharp seasonal fluctuations in maize prices (particularly in remote areas)
• Fragmented sales by small numbers of farmers
• Improper drying and lack of grades requiring that the quality of produce to be manually checked