The Maize
 Economy of Africa

Production Zones

Several major maize production
zones can be distinguished in sub-
Saharan Africa. The chief charac-
teristics of each zone are described
in the following paragraphs.

Eastern and Southern
Africa-Maize is the primary
staple food of most people in east-
ern and southern Africa. Presently
maize has little competition from
other staples, except in a few agro-
ecological zones. CIMMYT has
identified eight distinct maize
production environments in sub-
Saharan Africa, based on agrocli-
matic factors and grain maturity
characteristics (see "Maize Produc-
tion Zones in Sub-Saharan Africa,"
p. 8). In eastern and southern
Africa, these eight maize environ-
ments can be grouped into four
basic agroecological zones: lowland
tropical (<900 meters above sea
level), wet subtropical midaltitude
(900-1,500 masl), dry subtropical
midaltitude (900-1,500 masl), and
highland (>1,500 masl).

Lowland tropical production
zones cover about 18% of the maize
area in eastern and southern
Africa, including the coastal areas
of Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia,
and Tanzania, as well as parts of
Malawi. Rainfall patterns vary;
some lowland tropical areas are
characterized by a distinct rainy
season, whereas in other areas
rainfall is distributed bimodally.
Soils range from sandy loams to
heavier clays. Maize may be mono-
cropped with grain legumes or
intercropped with sesame, cassava,
cowpea, pigeon peas, tomatoes, or
rice. Population growth and the
increasing scarcity of land have
practically eliminated the long
fallows that traditionally were part


of the shifting cultivation system,
and now continuous cropping with
limited rotation is common in most
lowland tropical zones.

Subtropical midaltitude zones
can be classified as wet (>1,000 mm
rainfall annually) and dry (<1,000
mm rainfall annually). Wet sub-
tropical zones cover 49% of the
area planted to maize in eastern
and southern Africa, including
parts of Angola, Burundi, Kenya,
Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Rainfall
varies considerably at different
altitudes and may be either uni-
modal or bimodal; in the latter case,
two maize crops can be grown. Soils
range from deep fertile soils along
river bottoms and in lake basins
(some of which may be prone to
waterlogging) to better drained and
more easily worked upland soils.
Maize may be monocropped, par-
ticularly by commercial producers,
but more commonly it is inter-
cropped with beans, cowpeas,
groundnuts, pumpkins, or pigeon
peas. Since livestock are a
significant part of the farming
system in this zone, animal manure
may be an important source of
nutrients for crops.

Dry subtropical zones constitute
approximately 16% of the area
planted to maize in eastern and
southern Africa and are located
chiefly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanza-
nia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Rainfall is unreliable and inade-
quate. Soils include sandy, sandy
loam, alluvial, and volcanic types.
Maize is sometimes monocropped,
but more frequently it is associated
with beans, groundnuts, cassava,
cowpeas, or pigeon peas. Planting
dates are usually staggered to
reduce the risk of losing crops to
drought early in the growing
season. The unreliability of rainfall
discourages farmers in most dry
subtropical areas from using inor-
ganic fertilizer, so inadequate soil
fertility is a widespread problem.


Approximately 16% of the area
planted to maize in eastern and
southern Africa is located in
highland zones in Burundi,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda,
Tanzania, and Uganda. Highland
zones are characterized by ade-
quate to excessive rainfall, cool
temperatures, and long growing
seasons. Soils are generally deep
and well drained, with a high
content of organic matter. Maize is
monocropped or intercropped with
squash, beans, potatoes, peas, rape
seed, or even coffee. Depending on
the population density, land may be
continuously cropped or fallowed
after two to three years of cultiva-
tion. The practices that farmers use
to maintain soil fertility reflect
cropping patterns. For example,
inorganic fertilizers are widely used
in continuously cultivated areas.

Western and Central Africa-
Five major maize production zones
can be distinguished in western
and central Africa: the humid low-
land forest, the semideciduous
lowland forest, the derived and
southern Guinea savannas, the
northern Guinea savanna, and the
midaltitude zone (see "Maize
Production Zones in Sub-Saharan
Africa," p. 8). Cropping patterns are
highly diversified and vary from
zone to zone (Figure 6).

In the humid lowland forest,
maize is a minor crop generally
planted with the first rains at
fertile spots in the field. The main
crop is most often cassava, but in
some areas, such as southern
Cameroon, a groundnut/cassava
mixture is grown. Plantain bananas
are often interplanted as well,
producing a complex system of
short-cycle groundnutss, maize),
medium-cycle (cassava), and long-
cycle (plantain) crops. Monocropped
maize may be grown as an off-
season crop in low areas. A chief
reason for the relative unimpor-
tance of maize in the humid low-
land forest is that the crop is


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