are planted after the rains stop.
The early rains are often erratic,
and where the rainfall regime is
unimodal, staggered maize planting
is common.

Maize in the northern Guinea
savanna is grown in mixed stands
along with sorghum, groundnuts,
cowpeas, cotton, and yams, al-
though monocropped maize is
becoming more prevalent. Tradi-
tionally, maize was a minor crop
grown near family compounds,
where it benefited from regular ap-
plication of household refuse and
organic manure. With the advent of
chemical fertilizers, maize has
acquired importance as a field crop,
particularly in areas where soils
are good and fertilizer supply is
assured. The minor role played
until recently by maize in the
northern Guinea savanna is diffi-
cult to explain, since temperature
and rainfall in this area are favor-
able for maize (Kassam 1976).
However, this situation seems to be
changing, as maize has moved
rapidly into the zone in recent
years (see "Expansion of Maize into
the Northern Guinea Savanna,"
opposite).

Maize is a major crop in the mid-
altitude zone of central Africa
(e.g., parts of Cameroon), where it
is generally grown with grain leg-
umes groundnutss, beans, cowpeas)
or tubers cocoyamm). Staggered
maize planting is common, so ear-
lier plantings mature during the
rainy season and later plantings
mature in the dry season. Late-
planted maize frequently suffers
from maize streak virus and de-
creased soil fertility caused by
nutrient leaching. Soils in this zone
are often acidic, and nutrient defi-
ciencies (particularly phosphorus)
are common.

Production Technologies
Because of the diversity of agrocli-
matic conditions, production
systems, and producer groups, any


summary of maize production tech-
nologies in Africa risks oversimpli-
fication. Without attempting to be
exhaustive, the following discussion
provides a general idea of how
maize is produced across sub-
Saharan Africa.

Eastern and Southern Africa-
Three basic groups of producers can
be distinguished in this region:
1) small-scale hand-hoe cultivators,
2) medium-scale cultivators who
use draft animals, and 3) large-
scale commercial farmers whose op-
erations are heavily mechanized.

Small-scale hand-hoe
cultivators. Approximately 45% of
the total area planted to maize in
eastern and southern Africa is
cultivated by small-scale farmers
(also known as smallholders) who
rely primarily on family labor to
grow maize on 1-3 ha of land held
under traditional tenure arrange-
ments. Cultivation with hand-hoes
is often, though not always, associ-
ated with heavier soils. Land
preparation generally begins before
the wet season to take full advan-
tage of the rains but is rarely
completed on time, as the dry soil is
difficult to work by hand. Maize is
usually the first major crop
planted, except where high-value
cash crops such as cotton or tobacco
take precedence. Most maize is
sown shortly after the start of the
rains, although farmers may make
three or more plantings to accom-
modate limited draft power re-
sources, to reduce the risk of
drought losses, and to ensure an
extended food supply. Planting
method varies. In some areas maize
seed is planted in randomly ar-
ranged hills, although more com-
monly it is planted in rows. Seeding
rates depend on soil fertility levels,
plant spacing, and expected germi-
nation rates. Maize may be mono-
cropped or intercropped with other
food crops, especially beans, pump-
kins, cowpeas, pigeon peas, ground-
nuts, sweet potatoes, and cassava.


Many small-scale farmers choose to
plant unimproved local materials
because the grain quality of im-
proved materials is unacceptable,
or because improved materials offer
little yield advantage under the
limited level of inputs and manage-
ment that smallholders can pro-
vide. On the other hand, in areas
where fertilizer and other inputs
are readily available, interest in
early maturing varieties has been
strong, since these materials give
farmers greater flexibility to
stagger maize planting. Kenya,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been
particularly successful in delivering
improved maize varieties to a
large percentage of small-scale
farmers, including some hand-hoe
cultivators.

Fertilizer use varies greatly among
hand-hoe cultivators, depending on
soil fertility levels and on the
availability of organic or inorganic
fertilizers. Many farmers rely on
crop rotation strategies to maintain
soil fertility, such as intercropping
or relay cropping maize with
legumes. Animal manure can be a
significant source of nutrients in
areas where livestock are part of
the farming system, although most
hand-hoe cultivators have no
access to manure. In areas where
inorganic fertilizers are available,
modest amounts of fertilizer may be
used. However, fertilizer is fre-
quently applied late and/or in low
doses, so its effect is limited.

Weeds are a serious problem
seldom controlled by hand hoeing.
One or two weedings are normal,
although the first weeding is fre-
quently late, and subsequent
weedings are sometimes omitted.
As the season progresses, farmers
must often compromise between
planting more land and weeding
maize that has already emerged.
The use of herbicides is rare.


 (continued on p. 14)