Africa’s food security: Empowering smallholder farmers to boost maize productivity
29 September 2023
Despite being Africa’s most important crop, providing about 30% of energy intake across the continent, numerous factors have been working against African smallholder farmers in their quest for higher maize yields. Issues range from the quality of seeds and the unpredictable returns on fertilizer investments to the availability of nutrients and water, pest control, labor, equipment, gender-specific challenges, value addition, market connections, and selling prices.
Governments across Africa have stepped in to safeguard maize production and self-sufficiency. Their strategies range from subsidizing production inputs to implementing various price protection schemes benefiting producers and consumers. However, some of these measures have faced criticism from development banks, leading to structural adjustments and fluctuations in supply and consumer prices. It becomes evident that technology access and adoption play pivotal roles, both at the individual farmer level and across entire regions.
In a recent study, IITA Consultant Paul Woomer and other researchers at IITA–CGIAR Nairobi Station stated that the 12 key technologies required to overcome poor yields are mostly known, but how they are mobilized, packaged, and delivered requires re-evaluation. They highlighted the needed maize technologies and how they may be more effectively deployed and delivered through emergent developmental strategies to ensure maize’s future in Africa, leading to the transformation of African agriculture. The team stated that the combination of better varieties and their necessary accompanying inputs must become more available and affordable for an African maize revolution to succeed, and land must be managed in ways that enhance rather than diminish land quality over time.
The study also included the Dakar 2 Feed Africa Summit held in January 2023, organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential. It sought to achieve this by delivering climate-smart agricultural technologies to millions of farmers and creating an environment conducive to market-driven economic development. The key pillars included enhancing value addition, fortifying rural infrastructure, and strengthening policy incentives.
The effect of the summit did not go unnoticed, as the 36th African Union Assembly swiftly endorsed its outcomes. It called for the establishment of time-bound and measurable indicators for success. In an astonishing turn of events, over $70 billion in investment was mobilized within a month, destined to boost food and agriculture production across the continent.
After the summit, the focus shifted to critical follow-up actions. Among them, the modernization of agricultural technologies and services emerged as a priority. This encompassed every facet of agriculture, including the cherished maize-based cropping systems.
Under the banner of progress and transformation, IITA’s Partnership for Delivery (P4D) staff and Regional Directors joined forces with country planners. Together, they embarked on a mission to realize the Dakar 2 vision—a transformation that would redefine African agriculture, ensuring a prosperous future for maize and all those who depend on it.
With unwavering commitment, they journeyed onward, as the fate of maize in Africa is intertwined with the promise of a bountiful future for the continent itself.
