Most smallholders harvest maize
when the plants are fully dried.
Either the cobs are picked or the
entire plant is cut and stocked for
later stripping. Much of the harvest
is stored on the farm. Most often
cobs are kept in cribs, either
outdoors or indoors over a fireplace
where the smoke helps control
insects. In some areas, raised clay
or brick outdoor granaries or
underground storage pits are used.
In other areas, maize may be
shelled and stored indoors in sacks,
earthen jars, metal bins, or other
containers. Given the long dry
season in much of eastern and
southern Africa, these traditional
storage methods perform well,
providing good aeration and offer-
ing some protection from insects
and rodents. The use of insecticides
to control storage pests, while rare,
is increasing.

Medium-scale cultivators.
Medium-scale cultivators who use
draft animals (usually oxen) to per-
form agricultural operations farm
approximately 50% of the total area
planted to maize in eastern and
southern Africa. Most of these
farmers rely on family labor and
grow maize on 1-10 ha of land held
under traditional arrangements.
Animal traction is often, though not
always, associated with lighter
soils. Land preparation generally
begins with the onset of the rains,
although in some areas farmers
plow their land after the previous
harvest, before the soil hardens.
Most of these farmers use mold-
board plows drawn behind oxen.
Generally only a single plowing is
done, although occasionally it is
supplemented by a harrowing
before planting.

Planting method varies depending
on the area to be planted, soil
moisture, and availability of labor.
In many dry areas, seed is broad-
cast directly onto the soil and then
plowed in, a method especially
suitable for planting a large area


rapidly. Dibbling seed behind the
plow is another method farmers use
to plant quickly while soil moisture
conditions are favorable. Seed is
dibbled in every other furrow and
covered by a return pass of the
plow. Hoe planting behind the plow
is favored in some places as a
means of ensuring uniform stands,
although this method requires con-
siderable labor. Finally, in parts of
southern Africa, drilling with an
ox-drawn planter has become
increasingly popular in recent
years.

Medium-scale cultivators plant a
range of maize materials. As
improved varieties become avail-
able, farmers have begun to de-
mand germplasm with specific
characteristics, especially drought
avoidance or drought tolerance,
higher yield potential, and respon-
siveness to fertilizer. As in the case
of hand-hoe cultivators, interest in
early maturing varieties has been
strong because they provide greater
flexibility in management. Farmers
in some areas also value rapidly
maturing varieties because they are
ready for consumption earlier in
the season.

Both organic and inorganic fertiliz-
ers are used to maintain soil
fertility. Manure, when available,
tends to be of variable quality; since
it is bulky and expensive to trans-
port and store, it is applied to only
a small percentage of fields in most
years. The use of inorganic fertiliz-
ers has become more common since
many governments improved
fertilizer delivery to small- and
medium-scale farmers. Inorganic
fertilizer, often nitrogen alone, is
usually applied basally; less fre-
quently, it may also be applied as
an early postemergence dressing
and/or as a top dressing during
flowering.

Weeds are controlled either by
hand hoeing or, less commonly,
with ox-drawn cultivators. Row


planting facilitates mechanical cul-
tivation, which is generally done
several weeks after emergence
while the maize plants are still
small. Frequently a late ridging is
also done to control weeds and
reduce lodging. Many farmers who
rent oxen to prepare land do not
have access to animals later in the
season and rely entirely on manual
labor for weeding. Chemical herbi-
cides are not commonly used by
medium-scale farmers, mainly
because herbicides and application
equipment are unavailable and
farmers do not know how to use
them, or because the chemicals
damage the intercrop. Harvesting
and storage practices resemble
those used by small-scale hand-hoe
cultivators.

Large-scale commercial
farmers. Large-scale commercial
producers (known as estate farmers
in some countries) farm approxi-
mately 5% of the total area planted
to maize in eastern and southern
Africa. Although the definition of
"large-scale farmer" varies from
country to country, these farmers
usually plant at least 50 ha of
maize and often as much as 100 ha
or more. Large-scale commercial
farmers typically live on their land,
which they hold under registered
titles. Many also rent land from
neighbors who do not farm. Much
of the land cultivated by these
farmers is located in the high po-
tential zones of Kenya, Malawi,
Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Commer-
cial farmers generally produce
maize as a cash crop, although in
some instances maize is grown to
feed workers (e.g., on the tobacco
estates of Malawi).

Land is prepared with tractors. An
early plowing before the onset of
the rains is followed by one, two,
and in some cases even three
harrowings. Recently this pattern
has begun to change. The high cost
of operating machinery, and the
difficulty of obtaining spare parts in